Worlds Apart
by ifsoever
Summary: This story takes place six months after 5.08. Bo is now the Queen of the Underworld. After battling her father, she had to leave her family behind to save the world. Dyson/Tamsin are on a journey to get Bo back. Lauren/Kenzi, now alone, work together to get a message to Bo in the underworld. Warning: 5b spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Lauren was sure it was a perfectly nice day, once you got used to the cold. But for her, it was torture. She wrapped her arms around her body trying to warm herself, keeping her eyes on the rough terrain as she walked. She had to be mindful of each and every step with the extra weight she was carrying. It would be dusk soon, and they needed to hurry, so keeping up a quick pace was also important.

"Are you ok? Kenzi walking beside her asked, looking at her with a concerned frown. The same look she seemed to give Lauren all the time these days, much to Lauren's annoyance.

"It's so cold. I can't get warm." Lauren grumbled, feeling the tip of her nose starting to freeze, her fingertips going numb. Why couldn't she get warm?

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm not cold at all," Kenzi answered back with increased worry.

Lauren made a face, honestly perplexed. "How is that possible?" She touched Kenzi's cheek with her cold hand. "Feel that?"

Kenzi shivered and pressed her finger into Lauren's five-month pregnant belly. "Maybe it has something to do what that."

"Hypersensitivity to cold isn't generally a symptom of pregnancy," Lauren explained her eyes fixed on the ground, carefully watching her steps.

Kenzi laughed. "Nothing about your pregnancy is normal. I mean how on earth did Bo get you pregnant?"

Lauren shrugged, and Kenzi wrinkled her face. "You know it worries me when you don't have an answer for something." She said with a wary eye. "You being a know-it-all and everything."

Taking a second to mull that over, Lauren gave Kenzi a troubled look. "I've been a little busy trying to get Bo back. And haven't had time and to figure that out, yet." She quickly rubbed her hands together to simulate some warmth from the friction.

Ahead of them, about twenty paces or so, was the spot Lauren was looking for, or at least where her GPS told her the location was, being at the precise location was imperative for the spell to work.

"Aren't you concerned about your health?" She extended her hand to Lauren to help her over a fallen tree. Lauren took Kenzi's hand and slowly stepped over.

Once, Kenzi discovered Lauren was pregnant with Bo's baby she vowed to do whatever she could to help Lauren and be there for her until Bo returned…if Bo ever returned.

Lauren scoffed, irritated. "I'm healthy, so far, I'm no different than any other pregnant woman. I'm getting top notch medical care."

Kenzi cocked her head slightly and gave Lauren a puzzled sideways glance. "Besides freezing in mild weather you mean?"

"That's new," Lauren muttered under her breath. "Kenzi, please let me concentrate. We are almost there."

To Lauren's surprise, Kenzi was quiet for a few seconds, before she asked, "You really think this spell will work? Let us get to Bo?" Kenzi knew Lauren wanted her to be quiet but she was nervous, and when she was edgy she talked a lot.

Lauren sighed deeply, realizing Kenzi was going to keep asking questions and not let her focus on the task. "I'm hoping. That's all we have at this point is hope."

They exchanged distressed, loaded glances, and after a brief hesitation continued walking forward.

"Shouldn't we wait for Dyson and Tamsin to help? They probably know more about the underworld than we do. They've been gone awhile. They should be returning from talking with the shamans any day now."

Lauren studied Kenzi, thoughtfully, weighing her with sad eyes. "Kenzi, we haven't heard from them in months...I hate to say it, but they might be dead."

Kenzi winced and shook her head. "No way. I'd feel it if they were dead. They're alive. I know it." She countered with conviction, yet, no matter how much she wanted to deny it part of her thought Lauren might be right.

"Ok. Be that as it may, we need to try this, ourselves, please." She looked at Kenzi with gloomy eyes and creases of burden on her face.

Kenzi adjusted the large bag that was slung over her shoulder and dutifully followed Lauren. They walked in silence until Lauren stopped and gazed up at the sky. "Here." She said simply and hunched down.

Kenzi tossed the bag onto the ground, and Lauren rifled through it.

"I don't understand how this is suppose to work," Kenzi said bouncing on her feet, looking around apprehensively.

Lauren closed her eyes and wished for more patience while lining up various clear jars. "Please, Kenzi this is very difficult when you keep talking."

Kenzi opened her mouth to retort but quickly closed it. She sat down on the ground in front of the jars, watching Lauren fill them with different colored liquids.

"Give me your hand," Lauren said after a long moment of silence. Nervously and reluctantly Kenzi held out her hand. Lauren pulled out a large dagger and pricked her finger. "Ouch! Seriously Doc? Warn a girl next time."

Lauren frowned and placed Kenzi hand over one of the jars, watching as a drop of blood hit the liquid. "I told you I needed your blood." She said flatly engrossed in the task at hand.

Lauren repeated the steps with her own finger in the jar next to Kenzi's.

"What's the third jar for?" Kenzi asked with her finger now in her mouth to stop the bleeding.

"That's the control." She paused and darted her eyes around the clearing. "I hope."

"Lauren, I really, really hate it when you don't sound sure."

"This is new to me. I live in the world of science. Dark magic is not something I have much expertise in."

A shiver ran down Kenzi's body. Lauren Lewis, who always kept an air of confidence about everything, was unsure about this, and it caused her mild panic. But the two of them would do anything to reach Bo, so she buried her fears.

Lauren rummaged into the bag again and pulled out a crystal orb and handed to Kenzi. She took it and noticed sweat running down Lauren's face. "Lauren, you're sweating now."

Lauren wiped the sweat from her brow. "It may be because of where we are. The walls between our world and the underworld are thinner here. My body could be reacting to that."

Kenzi danced her eyes over Lauren's face with trepidation and bit the inside of her cheek. "Why just you and not me?"

"I don't have any answers only guesses, but perhaps it's because of the baby and her connection to Bo."

"Her?" Kenzi's eyebrow rose questioningly.

Lauren smiled and nodded. "We're having a girl." She pulled the last item from the bag, a rope. "I'll be your body's anchor." She tied the rope around their ankles. "Your body will remain here, but your spirit will travel to the underworld. I don't know how much time you'll have, but probably not much." She gazed at Kenzi uneasily. "If you're gone too long you'll be trapped forever."

Kenzi nodded that she understood. "Do you want me to tell Bo about the baby?"

Lauren hesitated, and they studied each other, for a time. "I think she should know. What do you think?"

"I think Bo would absolutely want to know."

Lauren nodded in agreement.

Before Lauren started the ritual, she took Kenzi's hand. "Tell her we're having a girl and I'm naming her Isabeau." Tears filled Lauren's eyes and dropped slowly down her face. "And tell her I love her."

"Oh geez, Lauren. You're breaking my heart here." Kenzi wiped away her own tears and patted Lauren's stomach. "See you soon, little Isa. I'll bring back a kiss from your other mama."

"This takes a lot of focus," Lauren said in a low voice, so low Kenzi could barely hear her. This was dangerous, very dangerous, traveling in spirit form into the underworld, could get Kenzi stuck there permanently, but it was the only way to reach Bo that Lauren could find, so they were taking that risk.

"What should I do?" Kenzi asked, clutching her fists together preparing her body.

"Try to clear your mind."

Kenzi focused on the orb, in her hand, as Lauren started reciting the words of the spell. Lauren repeated the incantation again. Nothing happened. Lauren took a deep breath setting her mind on Bo, and nothing else. She repeated the spell again this time slower. Energy surged around them followed quickly by darkness. The energy built around them and Kenzi could feel it coursing through her body now. The orb turned from clear to black, and a nauseous feeling rose up in the pit of Kenzi's stomach, black smoke oozed out and within a second she felt like she was floating.

A blissful calm filled her, and a black mist surrounded her body. After a few moments, and Lauren's repeated incantation the smoke shattered, and Kenzi's spirit was gone.

"Good luck," Lauren whispered staring at the blank expression on Kenzi's face. She knew it had worked, and Kenzi was gone.

XXXX

One thing Tamsin hated was cages, like really, really hated them. She kicked at the steel bars, the claustrophobic feeling eating away at her. She glared at Dyson in the adjacent cage. "I thought you said you knew these shamans." She hissed in frustration.

Chained up in the middle of his cell, Dyson sighed. "Who knew they'd hold a grudge for seven hundred years."

"You could have at least informed me." She shot back, pacing the tiny space, her eyes surveying their surroundings. She couldn't go very far, one of her legs was chained to the steel bars, but she couldn't sit still. Their captors had kept them awake for days, piping blasts of sounds through the ventilation system, whenever one of them closed their eyes. So, there was nothing to do but think and pace. Psychological warfare, she knew their game, and she refused to let them break her, she was stronger than they were.

Before Dyson could reply a bulky shaman appeared at the door, carrying a large sword, he looked back and forth between them. After a moment, he pointed at Tamsin. "Her. She's next."

Tamsin groaned and struggled against the steel bars, yanking at her chains forcefully.

"Don't struggle, it's futile." A second shaman said, having just walked up to join the other.

Tamsin straightened and fixed her gaze on the shaman. She shook off all her fear, she wouldn't give them the satisfaction. "Let's party, boys." She gave them a wicked smile and licked her lips.

The sound of shackles clinging against steel filled the room. "Take me!" Dyson shouted franticly.

"You'll have your turn, wolf." The shaman sounded pleased having gotten a reaction out of Dyson.

He screamed and pulled at the chains with all his strength. One of the shamans flicked his hand, and Dyson fell unconscious immediately.

Tamsin sighed. Dyson had been a fool to struggle without a clear strategy for escape. She would fight, for sure, but not without a plan. She stayed silent and tried to piece together what game they were playing and anticipate their next move. She prided herself on her ability to observe a situation and draw out conclusions based on the smallest of details, but these shamans were unpredictable at best. The only thing she could deduce was that they planned to torture her, which she could take, but their endgame plans, that's what troubled her.

The cage opened, and the two shamans sauntered toward her slowly.

Tamsin had spent most of her life dealing with death on the battlefield, as a Valkyrie. Death was easier in war it made sense. The souls she took were warriors, which was her objective, to deliver souls. And when they were delivered she could just walk away, her job was done. But this felt different like she was walking to her death, being her last life it would be a permanent death, and that was a new feeling. Four years ago, she would have faced her death with no fear, no regrets but that was before she had a family. Kenzi, Dyson, Bo and hell even Lauren were her family now, and they needed her. So, yes, faced her death with fear, but not for herself but for those she'd leave behind, and the unfinished business that would linger.

She couldn't leave this world behind before Bo was back. She couldn't do that to her family. They needed Bo.

When the shamans reached her, she tilted her head and gave Dyson's limp body a despairing look.

They unhooked her chains and dragged her from the cell. "I'll be back, Dyson." She called out. "Just hang on!"

XXXX

He advanced prudently, carefully taking his paces with care. He knew their queen was volatile and easily angered. But part of his job as keeper of the underworld was to bring her news, news of the other worlds. A raven flew onto his shoulder and whispered into his ear. They had an intruder, someone from another world, a young woman named Kenzi.

He reached Ysabeau, his queen, as she sat on her throne with a blank expression, lost in thought. He tightened his lips and waited for her to speak first, out of respect or fear he wasn't sure.

When she still didn't acknowledge him, he bowed as if silently urging her to speak. She hated it when he bowed, so at the very least, she would react to that.

"Don't do that." She demanded, her voice echoing the expansive room. His gesture had brought her out of her thoughts. She had told them hundreds of times not to bow. It freaked her out when they did it.

Forcing himself upright, he cleared his throat. Technically, she had spoken first, so he took the opportunity to relay the news.

"Your Majesty-" He began.

"Don't call me that. Call me Bo." She ordered dryly. Again she had told them hundreds of times not to call her 'your majesty'.

The warning in her voice told him, she was in a bad temper and impatient. His self-confidence faltered for a moment, as he prepared to give her the reports. Her intense gaze was making him anxious. He cleared his throat again, using the seconds to compose himself, and relayed the information.

Bo listened as much as she could, but really she didn't care much about what he was saying.

Once he was done he didn't hesitate; he moved quickly from the room. He needed to get more information about the intruder before he informed the queen about her presence.

When the room cleared, Bo retreated to her bedroom as soon as she could, collapsing onto the bed instantly. The solitude, of her chambers, was the only thing that soothed her these days. The quiet. The calm. She groaned and stared at the ceiling. Becoming the queen of the underworld was not what she had expected, but really what did she think it would be like?

Darkness loomed at every corner, sadness filled the air, it was suffocating, and there was no escape.

The only real escape she had was her dreams, where she could be with her family again. They could take her away from her family, but they couldn't take away her dreams and memories, those were hers.

So, she placed an arm over her eyes and tried to relax herself into sleep.

Suddenly, she heard the flutter of wings. She uncovered her face, looking at the raven's eyes staring back at her.

XXXX

Dead. Kenzi was dead, or at least she felt like she was dying when she was thrust into the underworld.

She lay, sprawled out, momentarily dazed. She looked down at her body and the crystal orb, that had luckily joined her on the journey. Her body was translucent, she watched flabbergasted as her shape materialized before her eyes, a blue glow pulsating from her. She stood up, having a more substantial form, and scanned her surroundings.

The layout of the Underworld was disorienting to Kenzi, it took her a moment to adjust, plus, the unsettling feeling of not having her body. Finding Bo would be difficult through the dark mazes that she faced. Panic briefly flared within her as she wondered if she would be able to find Bo.

Suddenly, ravens surrounded Kenzi, through the haze of smoke and darkness she couldn't see them at first. She could only hear them, it was unnerving and ominous. They seemed to be drawn to her swarming around her head as though scanning her body. Something told Kenzi to remain still and let them circle her. This place was dangerous, and it was better to be cautious.

She focused her thoughts on Bo, hoping Bo might, somehow, sense her and help. Maybe it was foolish, but she knew that she and Bo shared a special connection, that not even the underworld could sever.

Bo rolled her eyes and followed the damn raven through the dark passageways. She simply wanted to sleep. Why wouldn't they leave her alone? It's not like she really wanted to be their queen, she was there because she had to be, not because she wanted to. Queen of the Underworld wasn't exactly on the top of her list of career choices. So much of the past few years she worried about her family leaving her. But as often happens in reality she ended up being the one that had to leave them. She worried about their safety nonstop, dreamed about their faces every night, longed to be home with the ones that cared about her, that she loved.

The squawk of another raven pulled her out of her self-pity, and she focused back on the first raven that was leading her down the passageway. She faltered and came to an abrupt halt when she saw Kenzi standing there surrounded by ravens, glowing blue. Her arms relaxed and dropped to her sides, and her mouth fell open. Her stomach lurched at the thought that she was there because she was dead. A hush fell over the space when their eyes locked, and the ravens quieted. For a few seconds, she wasn't able to grasp the situation or what was happening.

Kenzi stared back at Bo, her own eyes wide with surprise. "Bo," She called out. "A little help here with these," She gestured her arms broad at the ravens.

Bo's astonishment vanished, and she was able to regain control of herself, she turned composed and clapped her hands forcefully together. Within an instant, the ravens disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke leaving them alone in the darkness.

"What are you doing here? Are you dead? What happened? Where's Lauren?" Bo exhaled a stream of questions all at once.

"Bo, I don't have much time. Sorry." She paused, for a quick moment, to study the weathered, sad lines on Bo's face, and her heart sank. But she had to shake that off and deliver her message quickly. "I'm not dead. You need to find a way home, Bo."

Bo sighed and dropped her eyes. "There's no way out, Kenz."

Kenzi waved her hand to dismiss the statement. "We don't have time for a pity party here." She pointed at the crystal orb. "That's from Lauren. It'll allow you to communicate with us…" She tried to remember Lauren's words. "But it won't work all the time, only when the…" She searched her mind from Lauren's exact phrasing. "Shit, I can't remember but something about when such and such of something align, the orb will glow green, and you can talk to us through it."

Unexpectedly, Kenzi felt herself being pulled away back to her body.

"Kenzi…" Bo gasped out as Kenzi's body began to fade in front of her.

"Ok. I'm going back now."

Bo cried into her hands. "I miss you all so much."

The tug on Kenzi's body intensified. "One more thing…" She considered how to word it properly. "You're going to be a mother…or father…I'm not really sure how this whole thing works…"

"What?" Bo gave her a look of complete bewilderment.

Before Kenzi's body disappeared, she called out. "Lauren's pregnant with your baby. She's naming her, yes it's a girl, Isabeau…" And then she was gone, leaving Bo staring at the empty spot, gaping in disbelief.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Since we don't know much about Hades and the Underworld, I'll be making my own stuff up, hope that's ok.**

 **I'll keep most things from canon, but I'll be changing some things like Tamsin's characterization, think more the beginning of season 3 (but a little softer) and less season 5.**


	2. Chapter 2

Kenzi glared at Lauren as she rearranged the kitchen for a third time. Clearly, pregnancy hormones were starting to drive her a little crazy. Or maybe, just maybe since this was Lauren this was probably what she did for fun on the weekends.

She banged her head on the counter top. "Lauren, are you really alphabetizing the cereal boxes?" She didn't bother disguising her annoyance.

"It looks better don't you think?" Lauren replied, neatly stacking and restacking the boxes and looking at them proudly.

Kenzi walked over and grabbed Lauren's wrist and stared at her. "I get that you're pregnant and everything, but you are driving me bananas with all this cleaning and alphabetizing. It's like nesting meets OCD in the most obnoxious way possible. You need a support group or something."

"I'm sorry." Lauren sighed out and looked around the kitchen that she'd been cleaning for hours. "I'm anxious about everything that's happening, and I like to keep busy. Cleanliness and organization, it soothes me." Kenzi let go of Lauren's wrist, and she continued organizing the food.

Kenzi squinted at her exasperated. "Were you in my room cleaning?" She put her hands on her hips while she waited for Lauren to answer.

Lauren scoffed, turning away.

"Lauren stay out of my room. Geez," Kenzi rushed off to her bedroom. "There's a method to the chaos of my stuff," She called over her shoulder. "Only I know my system, now I won't be able to find anything." She called out before slamming her bedroom door.

Lauren exhaled and took out a rag and started wiping the counter down. She glanced down at her belly. Her stomach had grown even more over that last few weeks since they'd contacted Bo. She rubbed over her belly her thoughts on Bo and the baby she was carrying.

A few hours later, Lauren and Kenzi sat together and watched TV. "What are we watching?" Lauren grumbled, wrapping herself up in a blanket. "This is, honestly, the most dreadful thing I've ever watched."

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Is the doc too good for reality TV?" She threw a piece of popcorn at Lauren playfully.

Lauren swatted the kernel off her hair. "Mindless entertainment is fine, but this is appalling. It's basically grown woman shrieking at each other and nothing else."

"It's funny." Kenzi popped some popcorn in her mouth and shifted her eyes to Lauren. "Lauren, is it possible that hormones are making you a little cranky?"

Instead of arguing, Lauren sighed. "I'm sorry." She hesitated and shifted her body trying to get comfortable. That was getting difficult these days with her stomach growing. "I have an ultrasound tomorrow. I didn't know if maybe you wanted to go with me or…" She drifted off waiting for Kenzi's answer.

"Oh, you want me to be your stand-in baby daddy?" Kenzi slapped her knee. "Damn, doc I'm shocked, that's a lot of responsibility. No one's ever asked me to be their baby daddy before."

"My baby doesn't have a daddy." Lauren did air quotes around the word 'daddy'. "I was hoping you'd come as a friend, or aunt or…"

"Lauren, you know, I'm here for you. Of course, I want to see the little Bo junior you're carrying." Kenzi squeezed Lauren's hand reassuringly.

Lauren let out a short breath and eyed Kenzi. "Why Bo junior? Why not Lauren junior?"

Kenzi shrugged. "You know Bo will be the dominant one. Everything's always about Bo." She said lightheartedly but noticed Lauren's frown. "Lauren, I'm only joking around. I'm sure the baby will be a perfect blend of Bo and Lauren. It's a miracle baby, after all." She gestured down to Lauren's stomach as she said it.

"I wish you were able to get Bo's reaction to the baby news before you were pulled back. I just…I want to know how she feels, what she thinks." Lauren's voice was low, and her gaze avoided Kenzi's eyes.

"Honestly, she probably feels like shit that she can't be there for you." She paused. "And I bet she's doing everything she can to get back." She stood and stretched out her body, her arms high above her head. "Bo's no deadbeat dad, she'll be there for her kid. Not even the underworld will stop her. One thing I know about Bo, she won't give up…ever."

"Kenzi..." Lauren muttered, unable to keep the grin from her face.

Kenzi waved her hand at Lauren. "I know. I know she's not the dad. Boy is this confusing." She tilted her head at Lauren with narrowed eyebrows. "Do you think Bo's accidently got other women pregnant? It's a skill she didn't know she had, so that she could have knocked up countless woman." She placed her hand on her forehead, her eyes wide. "Bo could have hundreds of kids running around, right now. Can you imagine?"

Lauren laughed in spite of herself. "I don't know about that. But so far in my research there's never been a case of a succubus impregnating a woman before, it's an anomaly as far as I can tell."

"And you're the lucky recipient." Kenzi shook her head. "Our little overachieving succubus. Does she always have to make everything more complicated? Girl's got a lot of hidden talents, I guess."

Lauren eased herself up; she was starting to feel fatigued. "I'm going to take a nap."

Kenzi plopped back down on the couch. "Good, I can enjoy my shows in peace." She pulled out her phone and sighed at the unanswered messages.

Lauren paused and peered down at her with somber eyes. "No word, huh?"

"I know they're busy trying to get Bo back, but I can't help feeling like something's wrong. Why wouldn't they give us updates? They know we're alone here." She shoved her cell phone back into her pocket with a scoff.

"They were traveling into sparsely populated places, a cell phone signal might not be possible." It was Lauren's turn to comfort Kenzi about the Dyson and Tamsin's situation. They seemed to take turns with that.

"I wish the Trickster was still around to give us advice." Kenzi's voice was low, and her eyes were down as she said it.

Lauren nodded wearily. "I know it feels like we are alone here, but we can face this."

"Maybe we should ask Vex and Mark to go out and hunt for them. I'm starting to worry that they are really in trouble." She looked up at Lauren, her eyebrows raised hopefully.

Lauren rubbed her hands down her hands, fighting off the exhaustion sinking into her. "We have no idea where they are. Dyson didn't give us any details before they left."

"Over confident asshole," Kenzi said shortly. "He always thinks he can handle anything." Kenzi noticed the lines of exhaustion creeping on Lauren's face. "Go take your nap, I'll be alright out here."

Lauren smiled and retreated to Bo's room. She crawled under the blankets and pressed her face into the pillows on the bed. Unfortunately, they only smelled faintly like Bo now. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, rubbing her stomach as she waited for sleep.

XXXX

It was a cold chill that finally pulled Tamsin from unconsciousness. She'd been in a dreamlike state for an indefinite amount of time. And judging by her sore body and rough face there was some magic coursing through her body. And she knew she was only conscious now because they had lifted a bit of the magic from her.

The ground she was laying on was cold, grainy concrete, and gallingly damp. She wrapped her arms around her knees to force some warmth into her body. She feared it made her look weak, but she was so cold and tired it was hard to worry about that.

She flinched when she heard whispers in her ear, but it was so dark she didn't know where they came from. These shamans were good, she'd give them that. They knew how to break someone down. But little did they know she had nothing to lose, getting Bo back to her family was the only thing that mattered now. She pondered how long it had been since she left Dyson behind. She had no idea, and no way to find out.

Abruptly, she was thrust into a standing position. Whatever ongoing, farfetched hopes Tamsin had gripped onto of finding a quick escape from the shamans had been shattered when she stood frozen in front of them. Their magic was powerful, and it pacified all the Valkyrie powers she had. Weakness was something Tamsin met with disdain, and she cursed herself for it.

Their voices came booming at her and without warning, seemingly echoing throughout every part of her body. It was neither male nor female. It was flat, emotionless, wavering between high and low pitches. It was, it say the least, unnerving.

"Why are you here, valkyrie?" the voice asked, and a shiver ran down her spine.

She tried to speak, but no sound came out, and she wondered why they would ask her a question when she couldn't answer.

The voice laughed in her ear. "No need to speak, we can read your mind."

"What a bunch of sick weirdoes, you are," she said to herself, now knowing they could read her thoughts.

"You defile our hallowed land with your wickedness and you will be punished." The emotionless voice said.

"Since, I can't move, you might have missed it, but I just gave you the middle finger."

As though on cue, a pain shot through her stomach, and she was forced to the ground, an invisible force was keeping her in place, and her body ached under the pressure.

"Everything you are will be destroyed, valkyrie. But first we'll feed on your life force."

She felt light-headed as she was pushed further into the ground. She heard a faint whisper, not that of the shamans before she fell back into unconsciousness.

XXXXX

In the secrecy of Bo's dream, she's with her daughter. She saw the image of a little girl, a perfect mix of her and Lauren's features, dancing around in the sun on the beach.

The air around her crackled into a thunderstorm the moment the girl met her eyes. The girl smiled with a dimple digging into her tiny cheek, her warm light brown eyes sparkled, the wind dancing her hair over her face.

With great effort, Bo tried to walk to the girl but couldn't. Then her dream turned into a nightmare when out of nowhere a powerful wave swelled from the ocean. Bo still frozen in place wasn't able to move to her daughter, she couldn't scream, within a second the little girl disappeared from her view into the sea. Darkness surrounded her, and all she could see was a male figure atop the water watching her silently, ominously. Then he clapped his hands together and just like her daughter the waves swallowed him into the water. Bo was left alone on the black beach, screaming for her little girl, but no sound escaped.

A deafening silence filled the air around her.

Bo's eyes shot opened, her pulse quick, her hair and face drenched with sweat, her throat sore from screaming. She reached her fingers up to her lips and tasted the salt water that coated them. She understood nothing about her nightmare, but she took it as a warning that her daughter was in danger.

Unevenly, Bo wobbled as she rose from her bed, moving sluggishly, her body unsteady. She clutched her hands together, now with a staunch resolve to start the day…night, it's was hard to tell in the underworld, and figure out how to get to that little girl in her dreams. Her little Isabeau was the only thing that mattered now, and she would stop at nothing to get to her.

She glanced at the crystal orb by her bedside and held it in her hand. She didn't know when it would activate so keeping at her side, at all times, was of the utmost importance.

"My Queen," Kerbs said, stepping forward into her bedchamber.

She groaned and lit the candles around her bed. Kerbs blinked quickly trying to adjust to the bright lights. He was short, dark-skinned, with piercing yellow eyes that were a little unsettling. His presence aggravated Bo deeply.

He eyed the orb in her hand with a cautious glare. "Mistress, I have been unable to find any information about how one could leave this realm. I fear it's impossible."

She scoffed. "Nothing's impossible. There has to be a way."

"But you are our Queen. You must rule over this dimension. It's the only way to have balance."

She glared back at him. "I don't trust. I don't trust any of you. There's a way."

He gave her a resigned scowl and paused warily. "I am here to serve you, my Queen. I only wish to help."

"Help keep me here, you mean." She spat back with bitterness.

He gave a short bow and left her room with haste.

Bo squeezed the orb in her hand, willing it to activate but to no avail. With a long drawn out sigh, she made a decision to find an escape herself. Kerb was not going to help her, that was clear, but maybe she could find information in her father's chamber, a place she avoided entering so far. There was so much about the underworld that she still didn't understand, and she was without any allies. One thing she knew was there was a way out; there had to be.

XXXX

Dyson dreamed of being a warrior again, he is strong, tough, free, and away from his cage. He is gallant and fearless. He makes his way through the battlefield, snapping his foes necks without blinking an eye. His body was fine-tuned, his wolf strength coursing through his veins. Was this a dream or a memory? It didn't matter to him, he was fighting against enemies and not chained in a cell. This was his escape. He could focus on this and not on his failure at helping Bo. No one could stop him in dreams.

He summoned all the resolve he could as he marched forward, the sun now blinding him. His opponent was impressive, he was massive and armed with a sword, but Dyson was fierce and would not be defeated in his dreams. He lunged into the other's body the trajectory sent them both flying backward.

Abruptly, the battlefield vanished, and he was alone in darkness. Staggering to his feet, he surveyed his surroundings. He was still in his dream and not his cage, which was all he knew.

"Wolf," The voice boomed, thundering through him. "It seems you find yourself in a most perilous position."

"Who are you?" Dyson called into the darkness.

"Like many of my kind, I have many names." The voice drummed deep inside Dyson's chest, vibrating his body. "I'm a messenger. A gatekeeper. A guide."

"A gatekeeper of what?"

"Oh, this or that. For reasons that are my own. I'm here to help you in your quest to free the Queen of the Underworld."

"Bo…" Dyson nearly choked out her name.

"Technically, your queen no longer has her body, so re-entering this world, will take certain creative steps."

"Like what?" He walked forward in the darkness toward the voice.

"She'll need a vessel to inhabit until she can get her own body back."

"Bo would never want to take over someone else's body. She'd never agree."

"Oh, you good guy types always make this so much harder." There was a long pause and Dyson thought this messenger had vanished when suddenly he spoke again. "We'd need to find a vessel that's on the brink of death. Their soul would need to be in transition between your world and the underworld. Then the queen could enter the body, and share it."

"Bo would never agree," Dyson said through gritted teeth.

"Take my word for it, there is no other way. The queen must enter a vessel."

"I don't understand." Dyson's voice grew louder and louder as he shouted at the voice. "Bo would share this person's body?"

"Correct."

"But who?"

"Oh, I think we may find our vessel quicker than you think."

Dyson considered his words for a long moment. "Tamsin?" He asked uneasily and waited for a reply, but there was no answer, only silence and the sound of his own heartbeat.

Abruptly, he awoke in his cage, dripping in sweat and chained. "Did you mean Tamsin?" He shouted into the darkness of his cell.


	3. Chapter 3

Dyson awoke from his dreams, with a sore throat from shrieking during his nightmare. He looked wide-eyed at the hawk staring at him with sharp eyes. He blinked quickly thinking it was a hallucination, but then the hawk spoke. "Wolf, I have returned with more details about your queen. Our vessel is inching closer to her death."

"Do something! Stop it. You can't let Tamsin die." Dyson shouted and struggled against his chains, grunting from the exertion.

"It is not my place to interfere with the valkyrie's destiny. She is not why I'm here." The hawk responded coldly.

"Bo will not agree if it means Tamsin's death!" Dyson's body began to shake at the thought of Tamsin dying.

"Wolf, do you not listen? I explained your queen and valkyrie would share the body. As long as we move quickly no harm will come to either." The hawk tilted his head and stared at Dyson's pained face. "It's merely a temporary solution until we can retrieve the queen's body."

Dyson sighed and fought back the sting of tears behind his eyes. "Where is Bo's body? It disappeared when she crossed over to the underworld."

The hawk hopped quickly up to Dyson. "Oh, yes. That particular item is of great value to many. But I fear its location is bothersome."

"No riddles. Where is it?" Dyson spat out. "If you're here to help, as you claim then give me real answers."

"Poseidon is in possession of your precious queen's body."

"What, the god of the sea? You're joking." Dyson couldn't keep the fear from his voice it trembled slightly at the end.

"I don't….joke. I haven't the time for it."

"But what would he want with Bo's body?" Dyson frowned, still moving against the chains with all his strength, despite the fact he knew it was a fruitless effort.

"Perhaps he's looking to trade." The hawk cocked its head the other way.

"Just tell me all the information." Dyson groaned in frustration. "Stop with the little tidbits."

"Hmm. Imagine a child is born, a child who, by all laws of nature shouldn't exist. A child that is both human and Fae, both the light and the dark, two mothers no father, a healer a destroyer, this child could, some would hypothesis, be more powerful than all the ancients, the queen, or anything else this, or any world has seen."

Dyson's mouth fell open. "Poseidon wants Isabeau…Bo and Lauren's child." He laughed hysterically. "You all are crazy if you think Bo would trade her daughter for her own body. She'd die first. She'd watch the world burn, first." He stared furiously. "You don't know Bo."

The hawk extended his wings and leaned closer to Dyson. "I never said that was my plan. Simply that might be what the sea god wants."

"What do you want out of this?" Dyson asked with a hostile tone. "You want Isabeau for yourself." He declared, somehow knowing deep down that was the truth.

Dead silence and with a cloud of smoke the hawk disappeared.

Dyson screamed loudly in the darkness of his cage, pulling at his chains until his wrists bled.

XXXXX

Lauren doubled checked her appearance in the mirror in the lab. She'd decided on a simple white blouse and dark pants for her ultrasound, she was running out of clothes that fit. She turned to the side to scrutinize her ever-growing belly. She rubbed her stomach and wondered what Bo would think about her changing body. What words she would say? She wondered how different her life would be if Bo were around, how different she'd feel. She squeezed her eyes shut and cleared those thoughts. She couldn't afford to dwell on what-ifs right now. There were too many other things to focus on.

Kenzi entered the lab and plopped on the bed beside Lauren. "Can't wait to get a look at our BoBo junior." She sighed and looked Lauren up and down. "You look tired, Lauren. You must not be getting enough rest. I don't want to deal with the wrath of Bo if you don't take care of yourself. You're my responsibility while she's away. You need more sleep." She pointed directly at Lauren.

Lauren frowned, brushing off Kenzi's statement and not arguing. "Have you had any weird dreams, since you got back from the underworld?" She asked at last, turning away from the mirror and carefully watching for Kenzi's reaction.

Kenzi shook her head. "Why? Are you having dreams?" She straightened up and studied her Lauren.

Lauren nodded. "They don't make sense. I don't understand them, but I wake up feeling like they're important somehow." The dreams had started after their connection with Bo. Always the same dream: her daughter, the water, and a dark male figure, then her daughter is taken away by a burst of water and she can't stop it. It made her feel helpless and anxious.

Kenzi started playing with the instruments on the small table next to her. "I dunno, Doc, doesn't pregnancy cause all kinds of weird shit to happen to your mind and body. I've lived with you for months and I can say for certain a pregnant Lauren is a crazy Lauren. I mean if you label one more thing in that apartment, I'm going to scream. You don't have to label toothpaste, toothpaste, Lauren. I know what toothpaste is, and it's already labeled!"

Lauren shrugged, ignoring the grievances about the labeling. "You might be right, but I feel like it's more than that."

Kenzi simply laughed at the statement. "Like a prophecy dream? That sounds like a bunch of hogwash to me. I've decided to stay far away from all Fae related prophecies, I suggest you do the same."

"Scientifically speaking, prophecies are-"

Lauren statement was cut off when Evony sashayed into the lab. She flipped her dark hair over one shoulder and glared at them. "Well, well if it isn't our resident unwed mother and her puppy."

Kenzi scoffed, looking indignant. "I'm Bo's puppy, thank you very much. Sorry, Lo."

"What are you doing here, Evony?" Lauren asked with a simultaneous sigh and eye roll.

"Not much really but this little pregnancy of yours has so captured my imagination." Evony placed one hand on her hip. "Impregnated by the wolf and here I thought you were on a strict clam based diet only. You're full of surprises."

Kenzi's jaw dropped, and she turned away to hid her face, that caught her by surprise.

"What I do in my bedroom is none of your business, Evony," Lauren muttered, shifting her eyes to her stomach.

Evony tilted her head back and laughed. "Considering my recent affliction I beg to differ."

Kenzi wrinkled her face in disgust. Lauren glared at Evony, and she narrowed her gaze on Lauren, sharply.

"I do get such pleasure out of the fact that the wolf knocked you up and skipped town. I can't think of anyone else who is more deserving of such treatment." Evony's eyes sparkled, thinking she was one-upping Lauren.

"This is my lab. So, if you don't have any business here, you can leave." Lauren shot back, not in the mood for an onslaught of Evony's special brand of snide remarks. Normally, she had no problem throwing back barbs of her own but she was tired, her feet hurt, she wanted to get back to her research about Bo and the baby. Evony was the last person she wanted to engage with.

"Oh, now, Dr. Lewis this is my lab." Evony countered and strolled to the door. "Try not to forget it." Her voice was forcibly sweet, but there was a warning tone underneath.

On the drive back to the apartment, Kenzi turned to Lauren. "Ew, Lauren. You told Evony Dyson was your baby daddy?"

Lauren glared back at her. "I'm not about to tell Evony that I'm carrying Bo's baby. She doesn't need to know. The less Evony knows, the better." She said, trying to act like the situation didn't bother her, but in truth she hated telling people, even Evony, that her baby was Dyson's. But she knew Evony was devious and had no scruples when it came to advancing her own interests. And Evony was obsessed with regaining her Fae powers.

"Good grief, Lauren. I can handle a lot with the musical bed partners in this group. But the thought of you and Dyson together freaks me out."

Lauren threw her hands up in frustration. "It just came out. I couldn't very well tell her it was Vex or Mark's. It's not real only a lie."

Kenzi turned back to the road. "I will repeat, ew."

"Yes, ew indeed, but it's to protect the baby. We have enough to deal with. We don't need to worry about Evony, on top of everything else."

"Still. You and Dyson." Kenzi shivered. "Ew."

Lauren elbowed Kenzi and gave her a smile for her effort in lighting the mood.

"Don't worry Lauren, I won't breathe a word to Evony. I understand the danger. We don't need that psycho after us or the baby."

They exchanged a glance, and then Lauren looked out the window, her thoughts on Bo. Kenzi concentrated on the road, her thoughts also on Bo.

XXXX

Bo closed her eyes and prepared herself to enter her father's chamber. She might have come to accept being the queen of the Underworld, really she never had a choice, but it wasn't her true home, it wasn't where her heart was.

She was barefoot and quickly moved along the stone floor, of the corridors to reach Hades room. She reached the iron door and paused feeling a surge of power in the air.

"Ravens," She sighed, just as ten materialized behind her. They transformed to take their humanoid form. Each stood ten feet tall, their skin grayed and wrinkled, their black eyes hollowed out.

Immediately, they closed in around her, standing as guards in front of the door. "Move away," She demanded, in her most queen like tone.

They hesitated. "Your Majesty," They said in a united voice that ricocheted off the walls around her. They bowed and stepped away from the door but kept a watchful eye on her as she reached for the door.

She unsealed the chamber, heaving the door open in one determined motion. She hovered in the entrance, wary of stepping inside. Yet, as she stared into the darkness, her dreams about her daughter flashed through her mind. She knew she had to press on into the unknown.

Pushing down her reservation, she entered the room, it was dark, the air chilly, the torches on the walls flickered with light, but not enough to make out the details of the room. She couldn't shake away her unease about being in that room. Her father was gone, but his presence lingered in every corner of his chamber.

"My Lady, Queen Ysabeau."

Bo flinched at the low voice that spoke to her from the darkness of the room. "Who are you?" She asked harshly, not matching the low tone, her voice was high and loud.

At first she saw nothing, then a dark figure moved toward her slowly. "Well, like many of my kind I have many names." He announced in a grand way that echoed in the chamber. "I'm a messenger, a gatekeeper, a seer of many things…"

He moved into the torchlight and she caught a glimpse of him. He was tall, lean, with silvery-white hair, dressed in plain clothes, holding a long staff. "Then pick one. Give me any of those many names you have." She shivered as she spoke, something about his appearance unsettled her.

"Ah, yes. I think human fairy stories refer to me as Hermes." He looked as if he thought Bo should be impressed. She wasn't.

"Ok, Hermes, minus your little-winged sandals. What are you doing here?" She asked dryly.

"I'm here to help you." He responded swiftly.

Their eyes were locked in a battle of wills. After a few seconds, she scoffed. "Sure."

"It's true. I have a plan to help you escape this place."

Bo frowned as conflicting thoughts and emotions swirled her mind. "Why?"

"Because of the prophecy." He said, his face grave, his tone stern. "I see an opportunity to help all the worlds by helping you."

Bo glared at him, and her temper flared. "Enough with these prophecies." She threw both her hands in the air and stepped away from him. "I'm sick of them." She almost shouted.

"Well, this prophecy states that the grandchild of Hades will be the conqueror of humanity. She will enslave humankind and rule over all Fae and humans."

"Not my daughter." Bo inched closer to him, her voice turning to ice, her eyes sharply narrowed.

"As you say, but unfortunately for you there are others who believe this prophecy to be true, and they would do anything to get their hands on that child. Being the warden of this child would offer them great prestige and the opportunity for much power."

"I'll kill anyone who touches my child." Bo hissed taking threatening steps toward Hermes.

"Unless your power extends to releasing your soul from this realm, I don't see how that will happen without my help."

"Who knows about this prophecy besides you?" She asked suspiciously. An odd feeling welled up in her stomach, she honestly didn't trust this visitor, he wouldn't offer his help without wanting something in return.

"Apparently, Poseidon and he seeks to gain possession of the child." He tapped the staff in his hand on the ground, while keeping his eyes on her.

Bo cringed in disbelief; her face turned serious considering his words. "Does that mean Lauren's in trouble?"

A pleased look crossed his face. "So you believe in the prophecy?" He asked, eying her vigilantly.

"No. But if others believe it…does that mean Lauren's in trouble?" She repeated, stiff returning his gaze.

"She is safe until the birth of the child. He would want the child healthy and born without incident." He answered, practically nonchalantly.

She suddenly felt a surge of panic at their safety, and rage at his flippant attitude. "What's your plan for my escape? I need to protect them."

"There's a way. But you're not going to like it, at least that's what your wolf friend thinks," Hermes said and then proceeded to explain his plan about Bo using Tamsin's body as a vessel to escape the underworld. After she stared at him blankly for several seconds, he added. "It is merely a means to help you escape this realm. It will be temporary, as long as we can retrieve your body."

She waved him off with her hand. "I've heard enough of this ridiculousness." She took steps away from him.

He interjected. "Part of the challenge is finding a vessel, only a few would be capable of housing your soul. The valkyrie is suitable and almost ready." He said, nearly pleading his case.

"Right. I'm not interested in this solution. Find another way." The dubious nature of this plan answered all the questions she had about his intentions. She would not trust him.

He glared at her, and abruptly laughed out loud, a low, grating sound echoed strangely around the chamber. "There is no other way. The vessel will be ready soon, we must act quickly." His face cleared as though fighting to control his anger.

She eyed him carefully, becoming aware of the sly expression on his face. "I'm going to look around my father's room, you leave and come back with a better plan." She ordered.

"This is the only way." He repeated, undaunted, calling after her as she marched deeper inside the room without looking back. "We are running out of time. This action is inevitable you will see."

Bo listened to Hermes call after her as she walked away. Determined to find another way out to get to Lauren and her daughter. She wouldn't trust this messenger, who obviously had plans of his own for her daughter. In this place, the underworld, she could only trust herself, that much she knew.

She stopped in the middle of the chamber and stared off into space. She needed another way out, but for a brief moment, she allowed Hermes' plan to percolate in her mind. She found that she was actually considering this plan. A chill hung in the air and traveled down her body, she wrapped her arms around herself, motionless, her mind on Lauren and their daughter, she was conflicted about what to do next.

 **XXXX**

 **AN**

 **This is not a CopDoc story. I always try to be respectful when I write Doccubus and having BoLo have sex while Bo is in Tamsin's body would be disrespectful to all three characters. (I think). Honestly, I just thought it would be fun to write their interactions having to share a body. Sorry if that made some of you feel uneasy about the story.**

 **Sorry for the short update, and thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

At dusk Lauren and Kenzi stood outside. It was warm but breezy, the cool air was comfortable and comforting. The earlier rain had passed, revealing a night sky clear with a large moon and stars. Being outside felt good and eased some of Lauren's tension and worry, though, she was still anxious about communicating with Bo. She held the crystal orb tightly in her hand. It was set to activate in a few minutes, and her chest was tight. Being without Bo left her with an emptiness that was hard to define, although the emptiness was, slightly, filled knowing she was carrying a part of Bo inside her.

Pacing back and forth seemed to quiet her mind, but there wasn't much she could do to calm her anxieties. Despite her aching feet, she tried to distract herself by keeping her body active, but so far it was only vaguely working. Over time, the hurt of losing Bo didn't seem to go away or stop, if anything it was getting worse. On the other hand, she couldn't let her sadness consume her. She was searching for a balance between her hurt and needing to live her life. Maybe it sounded easy, but honestly, it was a very hard thing to find.

Kenzi, for her part, appeared more relaxed, eager even. She gazed upward at the sky with her hands on her hips. "I can't wait to talk with your baby mama."

The words cut through Lauren's contemplation, bringing her back to the present. "I'm so glad you've upgraded to baby mama and not baby daddy."

Kenzi gave a small shrug. "We're flying blind here, Lauren. We have to make up our stuff to explain all this." She poked Lauren's side. "So, what are you going to say to Bo?"

Lauren turned, her heart twisted, and looked at her. "That I love her."

Kenzi scoffed. "I know, sometimes, you're withholding with using your words, even with your big brain, but don't you think you should say something more to her?"

Lauren stiffened and shielded her body with her arms. "I don't want to make her feel bad. I just want her to know that we love her."

Kenzi gave Lauren a pointed look. "I love BoBo, but sometimes that girl needs a big kick in the ass to get her to stop wallowing and do something. Maybe she needs to hear that from you."

"Kenzi. I'm sure Bo is doing everything in her power to get home. But it might be hopeless, and if she's stuck there forever, I want the last thing she hears from me to be that I love her." Their eyes quickly met and Kenzi saw the gleam of tears in Lauren's eyes.

"Are your hormones scrambling your brain again, Lauren? Bo's coming home, there has to be a way." Kenzi felt at surge of frustration, but she knew deep down Lauren had a point.

Lauren stared off into the distance with a pained expression. "I don't know, I'm not finding anything of use in Trick's books." She admitted with a somber sigh.

Kenzi took a few steps until they were standing shoulder to shoulder. "Dyson thought there was a way."

"He thought, maybe, the shamans could give us some information. But, honestly, he didn't seem very confident about that." No matter what they did, they seemed to tiptoe the emotional landmine of their situation. All it would take was one wrong word or step, and everything they were holding on to would come tumbling down but they couldn't allow that to happen. They had to remain hopeful for each other.

A long heavy silence filled the space between them, and Lauren wondered how long they could pretend that everything was okay with Dyson and Tamsin. From the corner of Lauren's eye, she saw Kenzi shift uneasily, running her fingers up and down her arms.

"You really think Bo is trapped there forever?" Kenzi's voice came out as a whisper.

"I hope not." Lauren sounded calm in spite of the raging nerves coursing through her.

More silence followed, before Kenzi changed the subject. "What about your other situation? The baby, any luck finding anything out about that?" Kenzi poked Lauren's swelled belly as she spoke.

"No." Lauren's voice was a scratchy whisper, her gaze averted from Kenzi.

"More weird dreams?" Kenzi asked trying to pull Lauren into a conversation. Talking things through helped her nerves, which, in truth, seemed to be the opposite of how Lauren dealt with problems. Kenzi wondered if it was because Lauren was alone for so long. Maybe Lauren had gotten used to figuring things out on her own, and she wasn't accustomed to talking through situations or problems with others.

"Yes."

Kenzi made a face. "Ok, are you distracted or something? I'm trying to talk to you. And yes and no answers aren't helping."

"Sorry, I just…I don't know what to say. I guess the only thing we can do is wait to talk with Bo." Lauren tried to smile, but her mouth and body were too stiff.

Kenzi nodded and put an arm around Lauren, and they stared at the orb waiting for it to activate.

XXXX

A cool, sea breeze tossed the air around the girl and tugged at her nightgown as she walked down the sand towards the water. In the distance, her name was whispered, calling her to the sea.

Behind the girl, Bo watched in horror as her daughter walked towards the dark figure and the water. Bo heard the crash and roar of waves. It filled her head, completely, and it terrified her. Her body trembled violently watching her daughter's steps away from her.

The girl glanced back, meeting her mother's eye. She paused, but Bo was rooted in place unable to reach her, unable to call out to warn her. Her daughter's long hair glistened in the sunlight, tears sprang into Bo's eyes as she remembered all her other dreams and what came next. In a flash, something pulled the girl forward, and she was gone, disappearing into the waves of the crashing sea.

Bo bolted up and scanned the room, her body shaking. With a quick hand, she threw off the blankets and rose stiffly. Silently, she paced around her chamber. She picked up the orb and wished it would activate. She needed to talk to Lauren, see Lauren, to know she was ok, that the baby was ok. But she still had no idea when it would become active.

Bo felt anxiety twist inside her, for her daughter, for Lauren. And now fear galloped inside her, and in her mind, she was brought back to her nightmares. She was terrified of what they could mean.

But Bo only had a second to consider her nightmare, for in the next second across the room from her appeared a sort of black mist. She blinked; it hadn't been there a second ago. But it seemed to be growing as she watched it, and to stretch out long and wide.

At first, it looked like nothing, and then an outline of a person appeared. It moved closer, and she realized what it was. It was Hermes. Within an instant, he had a perfectly formed human body.

Annoyance crept into her when his expression was uplifted and overly sweet.

"My Queen," he said with a mocking bow. "Our time has come; the vessel is ready."

Bo was quickly angered. "I never agreed to your plan. I don't trust you." She called out heatedly.

He grinned, and she wanted to slap his face. "Sorry." He bowed again. "With your permission, my queen, I would like to help you escape this prison." His grin disappeared. "You have a choice to make, an important choice. Now is the time."

Bo marched toward him, her expression stern, and she never looked more the part of the queen they called her until that moment.

Hermes cleared his throat. "The thing is, this is your only chance to help your daughter." He shrugged. "But I leave the decision in your hands. Come with me or stay here helpless forever."

Bo scoffed. "One thing I know for sure is there's always options." She tilted her head and glared at him. "I can figure something out on my own."

He mirrored her and tilted his head. "Like what? You might want to think about your daughter, your lover…your heart…"

Bo turned and took a few quick steps away from him and stared across her chamber. Lauren. Her dreams. The little girl on the beach, her daughter, Kenzi, her family, all rushed through her mind in quick flashes.

"There's much more for you to accomplish Bo, so much left for you to do. But you don't have much time. A decision must be made. The prophecy will come true, whether you're here or not. You must return." His voice was stern and steady.

All at once, a sense of revelation filled Bo, a sudden feeling of panic, and that her only chance to get to Lauren and Isabeau was slipping away.

She spun around and stared at Hermes. "I want to go back. Get my body. Save Lauren and my daughter. But I don't trust you, and I will be watching you." She pointed her finger at him.

He nodded with a sly grin. "Excellent, choice." He held out a hand. "Time to go, Bo." His eyes were dark, black, emotionless.

Bo only briefly hesitated, and glanced at the orb. Then she reached toward him. Their hands never actually met. Just as she was about to touch him, she felt a tingling force, and saw a flash of light. Then he was gone, and Bo was in darkness with several odd sensations running through her at once.

The first thing she noticed was a feeling of detachment from everything, a falling fast through a tunnel feeling. The second was cold, devastatingly cold. She had no control of her body, emotions, or thoughts as she was being sucked away fast from the underworld.

She jolted to a stop and pain rushed through her body. Unknown images, thoughts came to her, climbing into her mind. Everything hurt, and she couldn't move.

Strangely, the realization that her body was not her own, and she was laying face down in dirt came to her.

Memories burst through her mind. She still had no control over anything.

She heard faint whispers then darkness took over her mind. Nothingness.

XXXX

Dimly, Tamsin knew she was dying, and she was pissed. She laid still in her grave, outside of the shaman's caves. She knew she had to survive, but that seemed impossible, she was just barely holding on. She had no strength. Her numb muscles couldn't even support her weight. That filled her with hatred, for her weakness. She laid faced down, in the dirt, her body pleading for relief, begging her to slip into the darkness.

It was cold. Her clothes felt like armor, she bitterly thought it was probably her own blood that was weighing her down. Centuries of life and to have it end this way, again she was pissed at her luck, her situation, her death. Most underestimated the power of guilt, regret. She had made steps to repent for her past, yet even now she still carried the burden of her choices on her soul, facing her ultimate death.

This wasn't the first time she'd died, but it would be the last, her last life, cut short before she could fully reach redemption.

With immense effort, she pulled open her eyes, and she knew death was near why else was she staring into the eyes of a hawk. Her brain was clearly affected by the shaman's torture. Her body was shutting down, her breathing slowed, her heartbeat faint. No help was coming. She was dying, alone…with this imaginary hawk.

The hawk tilted its head and stared into her soul with blank eyes. Yep. She was clearly dying or going insane, or both, she thought.

"You're dying, but the queen is coming." A voice whispered in her ear.

In a dreamlike state, Tamsin watched the movements of the hawk in front of her. Damn bird, she thought bitterly, fly off and get me some help. Tamsin had a wild impulse to grab the hawk, but she couldn't move, death was too close.

Her body started the process of dying, black mist clouded her mind, time seemed to slip away. Her last thoughts were of her family, the family she'd only recently found, a family she had failed. Another debt left unpaid. And then, within a heartbeat, there was no more discomfort.

Her skin began to tingle with an unknown energy. Her head began to swell with strange images and memories that were foreign to her. To her shock, Bo's face flashed in her mind.

"Hold on Valkyrie, the queen is coming." The voice echoed throughout Tamsin's hazy mind.

At first, she felt the hollow nothingness, and then her mind began to clear. Lightness encompassed her, surrounding her. She felt like she was flying upward. Then suddenly the motion stopped.

Fragmented voices filled her mind. Nonsense at first, then Bo's voice became clear in her mind. She had an eerie feeling that some presence was with her. She was on the verge of dying, but something inside told her she was no longer dying. She barely had time to acknowledge the hope forming in her mind, before Bo's voice vibrated through her. _Tamsin._

Tamsin tried to focus and figure out whether or not she really heard Bo's voice or not. She seemed to be coming apart. Of course, her last death would be her longest death, she again thought bitterly.

 _Tamsin._ Bo repeated.

After a long time of confusion, pure willpower took over, and she was able to stand, stumbling and staggering to her feet. She'd accepted the strangeness of the situation, without logic interfering.

Her vision was blurry, but she focused on the hawk as it guided her away from her grave. Her uneven walking seemed to go on forever, as Bo's voice echoed in her head, and the hawk bounced in front of her. Oddly, this encouraged her to keep moving when she thought she couldn't go on.

And then, at last, the hawk stopped. "Just over there, you'll find what you need. The queen will heal your body. Give her control." The hawk said, talking directly to her.

Slowly, she continued, and then there they were, four shaman sleeping next to a large bonfire. Tamsin thought resentfully that maybe they were planning on burning her body. Again she was pissed off.

"Give over to the queen," the hawk's voice urged.

Tamsin on automatic reflex, stumbled forward and fell to her knees and concentrated on Bo. There was no mistaking she no longer had control of her body. She was only hazily aware of her movements as her body marched to the shaman's sleeping bodies.

She was startled when a stream of chi left their bodies and entered her mouth quickly. Tamsin could see it all, but she was frozen. For a brief moment, she was enfolded in relief and calm as her body healed. Tamsin fell backward and was suddenly in control of her body again. The pain was gone, and her body was healed.

The knowledge that Bo was with her, somehow, sharing her body surged through with a jolt. Confusion flashed through her. She didn't understand anything.

After a lingering silence, Bo's voice filled her head again. _"Tamsin, it's me. I'm with you. It was the only way to escape the underworld. We have to get out of here and get my body back."_

The fog in Tamsin's mind slowly started to clear. Her first reaction was to panic. "What are you talking about? This is lunacy. I've gone crazy, or I'm actually dead…most likely. Dying is the worst, I'm sick of it."

" _Quiet."_ Bo snapped.

Tamsin's panic turned to indignation. "What! This is my mind. You don't tell me to be quiet in my own head!" She was talking out loud now, talking loudly to Bo.

" _I can't think when you're talking so much,"_ Bo said, sounding annoyed as she whispered in Tamsin's mind.

"You do realize how that sounds right? You're a visitor in my body…my head…I'll talk when I want." Tamsin continued talking out loud and threw her hands in the air.

" _Is this really what you want to be doing, right now? We need to escape."_ Bo said harshly.

"Oh, I have a feeling this is going to be a real joy. I'm thrilled actually. Where's that hawk, he's behind this, I'll going to strangle him." Tamsin shifted her head back and forth quickly looking for him.

" _I think he's gone."_

"Peachy. It's just you and me. Wait, why were you able to use your powers against them? They were shielded from my powers."

" _You think I know? We need to hide and make a plan."_ Bo urged into her head, by her tone she was clearly going impatient.

Tamsin held back her retort and scanned her eyes over the landscape. With a shrug, she sprinted clumsily off in a random direction for a place to hide.

XXXX

Lauren and Kenzi stood hand and hand waiting for the orb to activate. Both their hearts pounded in their chests with anticipation. It was overwhelming.

With their eyes locked on the orb, at first they saw a faint speck, like a lightning bug, in the center. They squeezed each other's hands. The green light burned brighter filling up and slowly taking over the orb.

"How do we know it's working?" Kenzi whispered into Lauren's body.

"We'll see Bo inside the orb," Lauren whispered back, her eyes fixed on the orb.

"Oh. Freaky." Kenzi bent down to scrutinize the orb closer. She jumped back when, for a second, the orb glowed yellow. Excitement and anxiety clashed inside both their stomachs. And then the color cleared and the shining faded away, it was clear again.

They both gaped at the orb, bewildered, and both their shoulders slumped in unison.

"Lauren, what happened?" Kenzi turned to Lauren, she grabbed the orb and started shaking it as if that would make it activate.

Lauren sighed, and took it back. "It didn't work."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe…I don't know..." Lauren gradually trailed off and silently studied Kenzi's face.

"Shit, shitty shit balls." Kenzi kicked the dirt and walked forcefully away from Lauren. "Can we catch a break, please?" She shouted into the sky. "Just once?" She fell to the ground and held back her tears. "What now, Lauren? All our hopes were placed on that stupid orb." She buried her face in her hands. "We need Bo. Fae shit never works like it's supposed to." It was getting harder and harder to hold on to hope for getting Bo back.

Lauren placed a comforting hand on Kenzi's head. "We have each other, and that's very important." She sighed and closed her eyes. "And with or without Bo, you and me are going to be just fine," Lauren reassured her, even though, her heart was in turmoil ever since Bo left. But she needed to be strong, no one understood what she was going through but Kenzi. They had to remain strong for each other.

Kenzi peered up at Lauren. "We are two fierce bitches."

Lauren chuckled. "Exactly. We'll find a way. We'll get Bo back." Lauren found relief and satisfaction in comforting Kenzi and, surprisingly, she believed her own words. She needed to remain confident instead of simply feeling lost and helpless.

Kenzi stood quickly and brushed the dirt off her pants. "Yeah we will. That baby needs her mommy."

They grinned at each other and wandered back to the apartment, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders. As Lauren walked she fixed her mind on coming up with a new plan to get to Bo. She needed a goal, something to focus on to keep her mind busy, so her sadness didn't overwhelm her. They had to keep trying, even when it looked hopeless.

 **XXXX**

 **AN**

 **Wow, sorry about the wait for an update. I do feel bad for leaving this story hanging. Hopefully, I can start updating quicker.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Tamsin opened her eyes and promptly closed them again. Bo's continuous talking, or thinking, or whatever was driving her crazy. She used her hand to cover her eyes, for all the good it did. Even the small amount of light was uncomfortable. Her muscles were sore, and her thoughts couldn't settle. The view above her revealed nothing, just the top of the cave. With great effort, she shifted to her side on the hard ground.

Tamsin closed her eyes again and tried to block Bo out while she listened for any faint sounds coming from the distance. Laying there, miserable in the wilderness, with nothing to block out Bo's voice…well, she needed to face the fact that she would be incapable of a moment of peace with Bo inside her head.

"Can you stop thinking for five minutes, please," Tamsin shouted, angrily out loud. She wasn't use to this whole having another person in her head thing. It was driving her crazy.

" _Well, since I don't have a body, I don't need to sleep."_ Bo's voice answered. _"And there's a lot to worry about."_

"I need an exorcism, like right now." Tamsin tried to take a few calming breaths, but it didn't work, if anything, it made her more irritated.

" _This isn't fun for me either."_ Bo snapped back.

Tamsin laughed. "Yes, I'm sure it's very difficult for you." She rubbed her hands down her face at a quick speed. She slapped her face when Bo started talking again.

Bo laughed. _"Did you just hit herself? Because I didn't, feel that."_

Tamsin trailed her fingers over the stinging spot on her face and exhaled a long drawn out breath. "Since I can't sleep, let's make a plan to save Dyson."

" _Finally. He's inside the caves, right? And his powers are shielded?"_

"Your powers of perception are impressive. Oh, wise one." Tamsin said, in a knee-jerk reaction.

" _The snark is getting old. Maybe focus on our mission here."_

Tamsin got up on her knees. "I'm so sorry." She shot back mockingly. "You see, I have a massive headache because a succubus is stuck inside my head. Makes me cranky." She snapped; frustration pierced into her.

Bo ignored that and tried to refocus her. _"But I could use my powers against them, so maybe there's magic surrounding the cave. If we disable that, Dyson could free himself."_

Tamsin lifted herself up and stretched out her aching muscles. "How would we know what to look for?"

" _Aren't you the one that's centuries old?"_

Tamsin groaned and pressed her fingers to her eyes. "We need to find the source of the spell and destroy it, I guess."

" _Now, you're thinking. Let's scout the cave, maybe we'll discover something."_

"Yes, Queen."

" _Stop. Just get going."_ Bo ordered, sternly.

XXXX

Lauren curled up on the sofa with a stack of books in front of her. Kenzi sat down on the floor and started flipping through one of the books. "Are these Tricks books?"

Lauren glanced up from her reading for a moment, nodded and kept reading.

Kenzi squinted at the pages and tilted her head. "What are you looking for?"

"Anything, that might help us." Lauren closed her book and picked up her cup of tea and sipped it slowly.

"So, how's it coming?" Kenzi threw the book down and peered up at Lauren.

Lauren rolled her eyes at herself. "Terrible. All I keep reading is once a soul is bound to the underworld, there's no escape. Honestly, there's very little information."

Kenzi lifted up to give her a hug, and her hand brushed over Lauren's belly. It was rock solid, and something shifted beneath her touch. "Shit, Lauren." She gasped out, jerking her hand back.

Lauren chuckled, her stomach moved up and down. "Feels weird, doesn't it?"

She eyed Lauren's belly, and she could see it moving beneath her shirt. "Do you ever have nightmares that she's about to burst out of you like in Aliens?"

"Not quite. Don't be freaked out." Lauren reached for her hand and placed it on her stomach. Kenzi waited and could feel a soft fluttering under her hand, and she resisted the urge to jerk away. It felt strange thinking a person was growing inside Lauren's stomach, and she could feel her moving.

Kenzi kept her hand on Lauren and wrinkled her eyebrows. "Do you ever read birthing horror stories? I've read some weird shit about what happens."

Lauren laughed and shook her head. "I'm a doctor, remember?"

"I'm still not so sure about that." She said with a smirk, and her fingers drifted down over Lauren's belly button. "Ew, Lauren is that thing always popped out like that?" She pulled her hand away.

"It's normal." Lauren ran her own fingers over her stomach scratching.

"Now, it itches?" Kenzi bent down and watched as Lauren's whole stomach moved as the baby kicked. "I'm telling you something weird is growing in there."

Lauren slid her fingers up and down her stomach. "It's all completely normal."

Kenzi laughed out loud and patted Lauren's leg. "Sorry no this isn't normal."

Lauren shrugged and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. "Well, Fae normal."

After a moment, Kenzi shifted uncomfortably and stared at Lauren with serious eyes. "Bo would love this. I'm sorry she's missing it."

Lauren forced a smile at Kenzi, and then glanced at her stomach. "Yeah." She hesitated briefly. "I've been thinking about the baby and how…well how it happened."

Kenzi sat up straight, her eyes wide with surprise. "You figured it out?"

Lauren glanced around the living room, before meeting Kenzi's eyes again. "Do you remember when I had Fae powers, and I was conduit?"

"Yeah…" Kenzi answered cautiously. "That was weird and surprisingly short-lived." She tilted her head and stared at her. "I always thought that whole thing was kind of anti-climatic." She waved her hand back and forth. "Human…Fae…then back to where you started."

Lauren cleared her throat and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "Well, there was this one time…Bo and I…well there was like a chi exchange."

Kenzi looked at her perplexed, blinking slowly, trying to follow along.

Lauren threw up her hands. "It makes sense, though, right? Chi is a life force, maybe when I pulled chi from Bo at the same she pulled my chi. It might have confused my body, in some way."

"Lauren, this sounds crazy. Like bad B movie plot stuff. Pregnant by chi? Is she going to come out blue and glowing or something?"

Lauren scrubbed her hands down her face. "I know it sounds impossible but…" She pointed at her stomach. "Here we are. I think a chi exchange is the answer."

Kenzi shook her head quickly, not really understanding any of it. "That's what you get for experimental succubus sex. Someone always ends up pregnant." She teased with a small smirk, before adding. "Lauren, you're the genius here. I'll believe whatever wild theories you have." She patted Lauren's back lightly. "Chi baby it is. Whatever you say."

XXXX

Tamsin scrutinized the stones lining the outside of the cave. The rough stones had been piled deliberately into a carefully crafted altar. She reached out and hovered over one, feeling the power contained inside. When she waved her hand back and forth, her fingers glowed green. Tamsin was cautious and for good reason. The shaman were powerful, and she wasn't sure how to proceed.

" _Have you ever seen anything like this before?"_ Bo asked.

"Yes, all the time. I often…" Tamsin clipped off the words as she spoke.

" _Enough!"_ Bo shouted, and echoed throughout Tamsin's head. _"Just get on with it."_

Tamsin relented, she didn't really want to get into a pissing match with Bo at that moment, so she said nothing more.

She stood back and observed the situation, she heard nothing, but a soft whistle from the stones. Clearly, there was magic within them but she didn't know what kind or how powerful.

" _Do you know what will happen if we destroy or move those stones?"_ Bo asked, this time using a gentler tone.

Tamsin paced around, she understood their dire situation, had understood it as soon as the shaman captured her and Dyson. Death loomed over the entire space and clung to the shaman.

" _I wonder if that's how they're blocking Dyson's powers,"_ Bo said, trying to urge Tamsin into action. Her voice came through clear, and direct.

Tamsin turned her head side to side, suddenly she felt the energy of the stones slam into her and bounce just as quickly off her. She staggered back, for a second, her eyes rolled back in her head.

She steadied herself, and in a low, quiet voice, she said, "Yes, I think it is, and Dyson is in moral danger. We have to act quickly."

Tamsin knelt in the dirt, examined the stones. She muttered a few swear words before holding her breath and pushing the altar over.

XXXXX

Dyson had always believed in his own strength, in his power as a shifter. He took pride in his Faeness, in his strong mind and body. One of his earliest memories was running through the wildness, free in his wolf form, powerful and in control. Being captured, being helpless without his powers, that, to him, was a fate worse than death.

The strength he commanded, when he was in full possession of his powers, could lift massive stones, hold back a speeding car, defeat foes five times his size. But now…he no longer had those powers; he was weak, defeated, and alone.

Helpless, he watched as they pulled Tamsin from her cage. Helpless, he watched as Bo made her decision to go the underworld, and his world smashed to bits. He had pledged to protect Bo, to give his life int serving her, and he failed. He failed Lauren, Kenzi, Bo, Tamsin, and himself.

Worse, he discovered that Lauren was carrying Bo's child, another failure. He flexed his fingers fighting back the tears pooling in his eyes.

Going to the shaman was his second chance, his opportunity to right his failure, but now he was powerless and alone. He was ashamed, his disgrace was fresh, and it devoured his soul. He felt hollow inside, completely empty. He was nothing without someone to serve and protect.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm his unruly thoughts. With a gasp of breath, he felt energy slam into him. His eyes popped open. Sweaty and confused, Dyson's mind jumped into action. He could feel his strength return, he swayed back and forth in the middle of the cage while his powers settled back into him. He felt alive again.

He pulled at his chains until they crashed to the ground freeing him. Pain shot through his body, his ribs and back sore, he growled at the throbbing. He didn't think he had much time.

With long strides, he dragged the heavy steel behind him and moved to the steel door on his cage.

He paused to listen for sounds around him and when he heard nothing he caught the steel bars in a death grip and yanked with all his might until it broke apart. He almost collapsed in relief. He breathed deeply, gathering up all his strength.

Sensing something, some movement, he turned his head side to side and sniffed the air around him. He caught the scent of danger, his form wavered and changed into his wolf. With his new acute senses, he breathed in the air again, and he could smell a dozen shamans waiting to take him. He focused forward and rushed out of his cell to fight for his freedom, this was a battle his was ready to face.

XXXX

Lauren stared at herself in the mirror and drew a breath reminding herself nothing was easy in this world. And nothing could last forever, not grief, not guilt, not love, not hopelessness. The challenge of living was to take on every trial and face it, feel all the emotions, but be prepared to move on from it. She couldn't crumble into despair, she had to confront this problem with her chin bravely lifted and shoulder to shoulder with Kenzi.

But she had to believe, had to hope, that somehow Bo would find her way back to her, to their daughter, to Kenzi.

A small smile grew on her lips, and she rubbed her hand across her growing belly.

She paced the room and put her finger to the cleft in her chin, thinking about Bo and the baby. She didn't dare yield to the depth of sadness she felt, because she couldn't.

Finally, she laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. Quickly, she drifted off to sleep.

 _Lauren wandered across the beach toward the brunette who stood gazing into the sea._

" _Bo," She whispered into the wind._

 _The brunette whirled around, and a smile spread across her face, but she said nothing._

" _Bo," Lauren repeated, taking small, cautious steps forward. "I miss you, I wish you were with us." The wind blew harder, whipping her hair and dress from side to side._

 _Bo's smile faded, and she pointed at the large wave building in the distance, gathering in the sea._

 _Lauren's spine stiffened with the growing tension in the air. Shadows and wind danced across her skin. She walked forward and stared into the sea, the dark shape on top the water was barely visible. It's presence made her breath shallow, sweat built up on her brow, but she made no more movements._

 _The sea swelled high, her muscles rigid, her dress swayed in the breeze. Drops of water showered into her hair, onto her face, and she watched in horror as a small girl tumbled all the way into the water._

"Lauren," A familiar voice stirred Lauren from her dream.

"Lauren," Kenzi repeated, lightly shaking her shoulder. "Lauren, wake up. Tamsin and Dyson are back."

Lauren's eyes popped open, and she sat straight up, stunned by her sudden shift into consciousness. She gasped, her breath shoved out of her by her nightmare…by the shock and horror of it.

Kenzi leaned closer, and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "They're back."

Lauren caught up with Kenzi in the living room, and she stared at Dyson, and then Tamsin then gave Kenzi a significant look. She lowered herself into one of the dining room chairs. "What happened?" She prompted anxiously, when no one spoke.

The three of them exchanged glances, but no one said anything.

Lauren frowned and darted her eyes over their faces. "Is everyone okay?"

" _Say something nice to her."_ Bo urged Tamsin.

Tamsin snorted, and everyone looked at her.

Tamsin shifted from one foot to another, and thought through what to say, then offered, "Lauren, you don't look as fat as I thought you would."

" _Hey!"_ Bo shouted inside her mind, at the same time, Lauren said. "Thanks, I guess."

Deciding to ignore Tamsin, Lauren turned her attention to Dyson. "If something bad happened, just say it." She leaned back and studied his face.

Dyson clenched his jaw shut and avoided her eyes.

Kenzi brought Lauren a glass of water. "They're just tired from their trip. Let them rest and we can talk in the morning."

Lauren rose from the chair and took the water. "Dyson, you'll tell me about your trip in the morning?" They were being evasive and Lauren knew it.

"Yes." He grunted.

Lauren narrowed her gaze at him as if trying to read his mind, after a moment she gave up and nodded.

When she disappeared into the bedroom, the four of them sat in uncomfortable silence.

"How long are you going to keep this from her?" Kenzi whispered to Tamsin.

"She wants to wait until we have a plan to get her body back," Tamsin answered, using Bo's explanation.

Kenzi grabbed Tamsin's shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Bo, you know nothing good comes from keeping secrets. Or have we all not learned anything over the past few years?"

"She says she knows but she doesn't want to add any more stress onto Lauren," Tamsin repeated Bo's words to Kenzi.

Kenzi walked away from Tamsin and sat next to Dyson on the couch. "I have a bad feeling about this." She rubbed her fingers over her eyes.

Dyson wrapped his arm around her. "It's Bo's choice."

"Fine." Kenzi nudged Dyson's arm off her. "But for the record I don't agree with any of this." She glared at Tamsin/Bo. "Not that my opinion ever matters." She jumped to her feet and left the room without looking back.

 **XXXX**

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading and sorry about the delay with updates.**


	6. Chapter 6

" _Lauren's in the kitchen go talk to her."_ Bo urged for the fourth time. _"See if she needs anything."_

"You're not using my eyes to gawk at your knocked up ex-girlfriend," Tamsin whispered, looking up as if trying to look at Bo. "I feel like I'm living in a bad 80s sitcom."

" _Well, maybe if you complained less, we could get to work and figure this out."_

"Maybe if you found another body to haunt you wouldn't have to hear my complaints." Tamsin hissed quietly, so Lauren didn't hear her.

" _Just go talk to her."_ Bo pressed again, her voice laced with edginess.

"I don't have to do what you say." Tamsin murmured. For some reason, she insisted on talking out loud to Bo, even though she didn't really need to. "You're a passenger in my body, remember?"

Before she could get out another retort, Tamsin's body lunged forward. She steadied herself on the sofa, with her eyes wide from shock. "Did you just do that?"

Bo laughed in her ear. _"Yep, now go talk to Lauren before I do it again."_ Bo's influence over Tamsin's body was getting stronger; she was able to control her movements but only when Tamsin was distracted.

With great reluctance, Tamsin strolled into the kitchen and stared at Lauren as she made tea at the stove.

" _Is Lauren going to work? She needs to rest, tell her to stay home and rest."_ Bo said as soon as Tamsin glanced at Lauren's medical bag on the floor.

"No." Tamsin snapped loudly.

Lauren turned around slowly to look at her. She kept her hand on the round swell of her stomach. "No what?" She frowned and studied Tamsin's face.

Tamsin rolled her eyes at Bo and Lauren. "No, I don't want any tea, thanks for asking." She gestured her hand at the stove.

Lauren glared Tamsin and shifted her eyes down to the teakettle. "Would you like some?" She picked up an empty cup and offered it to her. "There's plenty."

" _Be nice."_ Bo's voice shot loudly through Tamsin's mind.

"No," Tamsin mumbled. She took a few steps away from Lauren, exhaling heavily at Bo's continued complaints inside her head.

Lauren grimaced at a throb in her side, putting a hand to the small of her back she watched Tamsin walk away. "Dyson told me what happened. He said you saved him." She prompted, carefully.

"Yep," Tamsin said, shortly, dropping down into a kitchen chair.

Lauren probably should've been irritated by Tamsin's attitude, but she was too distracted by all the worries on her mind, so she let it go and tried her best to have a civil conversation. Dyson was vague on the details of their trip. She felt like he was leaving valuable information out, and she knew it would be difficult to learn anything from Tamsin if they were bickering back and forth.

" _She looks exhausted. Ask her if she's getting enough sleep."_ Bo said, her voice laced with concern.

Tamsin's fingers traced circles on the table. "Lauren, you look like shit, you need to sleep more."

" _Geez, Tamsin!"_ Bo yelled, making Tamsin flinch by her abruptness.

Lauren gritted her teeth in annoyance, realizing a polite conversation wasn't going to happen. "I really have missed you," She said sarcastically.

"Pregnancy is no excuse to let yourself go." Tamsin rocked back in her chair, deciding to taunt Lauren to irritate Bo. "How are you going to get a new girlfriend with those bags under your eyes? You should take pride in your looks."

" _Tamsin!"_ Bo shrieked. _"Wow, really?"_

Lauren tossed a glare at Tamsin but didn't take the bait.

Tamsin shrugged and leaned further back, pleased to get a reaction from Bo. "I'm not buying this whole Bo knocked you up thing. It's pretty suspicious if you ask me."

" _Oh, God, Tamsin, stop. Leave her alone."_ Bo called out, with a hint of panic in her voice.

Lauren's face creased with obvious annoyance. "Well, I don't really have to explain myself to you." She stared daggers into Tamsin's eyes, daring her to argue back. She was tired of Tamsin's immature attitude and insults. She wasn't in the mood to deal with it, especially when it came to Bo or the baby.

A small smile pulled at Tamsin's lips as Bo continued to demand she stop. She ignored Bo and said, "If I were Bo I would get a DNA test…" As soon as the words left her mouth her hand shot up and covered her mouth, it landed hard on her face, and her eyes bulged out in surprise.

" _Apologize or I won't let go,"_ Bo whispered in Tamsin's head at the same time her hand squeezed tighter over her mouth from Bo's control.

Lauren watched her. "What's wrong with you?" She narrowed her eyes and studied her face, suspiciously.

"Sorry, Lauren," Tamsin muttered, and her hand relaxed off her face as Bo let her hold go.

Lauren walked over to Tamsin and hovered over her. "I know we've all taken so many brutal blows these past few months. But, hopefully, somewhere deep inside a mature Tamsin is waiting to come out. We need to stick together to get Bo back." She sat a cup of tea down in front of Tamsin, hard. "This might be the perfect time to grow up."

Tamsin groaned in an answer but bit back her response and watched as Lauren left to go to work.

" _What the hell Tamsin? Why do you have to treat her like that?"_

"I didn't ask for any of this. And please Lauren isn't some innocent shrinking violet. How many times has she broken your heart, now? It's so hard to keep track."

" _I think we have bigger problems right now, than keeping score on who's done what, to who, when."_

Tamsin scrubbed her palms into her eyes. "What's the plan to get your body back?"

" _We should start by researching everything we can on Poseidon since he apparently has my body."_

"Fine." Drawing a deep breath, Tamsin shoved herself out of the chair and left to go to the Dal for research.

XXXXX

Tamsin and Bo hit the ground running at the Dal. Within an hour of getting there, they'd swept through volume after volume, looking for information. But they ended up with more questions than answers and both were getting frustrated with the lack of progress and each other.

" _It'd be a lot easier if the Fae put their information on the Internet,"_ Bo complained to Tamsin. _"There are no real details about the ancients or this whole vessel thing."_

"Like Fae-ipedia?"

" _Exactly. It could take weeks to go through all these books."_ Bo knew her voice sounded whiny, but she was growing discouraged and impatient and didn't care.

"Yeah, especially when you never stop blathering," Tamsin said flatly. She was also becoming impatient and aggravated, and it was almost impossible to read while Bo was talking inside her head.

" _Oh, here we go round four hundred..."_ Bo's voice came in distant, and Tamsin could feel their connection slipping.

Then, dizziness hit her, sending her flying to the ground. It happened so suddenly that she didn't have time to brace herself. She slammed painfully on her knees. Bo was gone. There was nothing Tamsin could do but wait, and she mind raced for answers.

Meanwhile, Bo blinked slowly and saw a tiny, bobbing white light. Her whole consciousness was focused on that light, like a beacon in the darkness. It was pitch black, save that one small light, and Bo lost any sense of where she was. She forced her eyes down and caught a glimpse of a hand, her hand. She was in her body, her real body. But she didn't know where she was or how she'd gotten back to it.

The only sound she heard was the faint whisper of footsteps, she stayed frozen, waiting.

Tamsin wobbled over and stared at the ground, she pinched her nose as a sharp pain shot through her eyes and head.

" _Tamsin."_ Bo's voice was hushed, far away as if it were coming in through a hollow tunnel.

Then silence stretched, and Tamsin thought she was alone again before Bo's voice cut through her mind again, another sharp pain pierced her head. _"Tamsin!"_

"What the hell is happening?" Tamsin choked out, rubbing her fingers into her eyes to lessen the pain.

" _I was back in my body. But I don't know where it is or what they're doing with it."_ Bo's voice was clear again.

"How is that possible?" Tamsin's voice lowered, to avoid wandering ears.

" _I think we're being manipulated by that Hermes dude that freed me. He didn't give us all the information. We can't trust anything he said."_

Tamsin snorted. "A mysterious figure appears and offers you the one thing you wanted, and you didn't think maybe he had an ulterior motive?"

" _Of course, I considered that. But it's not like I had many options. Let's keep researching. It's the only thing we can do right now."_

Tamsin clapped her hands together. "The power of positive thinking and forward movement."

" _Maybe we'll get lucky and find something."_ Bo's voice sounded nervous and pained.

Tamsin nodded along with Bo's words and dropped into a chair to pick up a large, heavy book. She'd experienced many unusual things in her many lives, but sharing her body with another probably would never be topped. What a mess she found herself in now, she thought bitterly. She gave herself a few seconds to wallow in her misfortune before she turned all her attention on the book in front of her.

XXXXX

That night, exhaustion finally gripped Tamsin and she slipped into a deep sleep. Despite this, Bo was still active. Bo's control was evolving as Tamsin slept Bo was able to concentrate and move Tamsin's body. A sense of lightness spread out through her hands, and body and Bo flexed her fingers first and then moved her toes. It was an exhilarating feeling, that glorious feeling of being alive, being in control. Drawing on every bit of her mental strength Bo forced Tamsin's body up.

Bo walked Tamsin's body around the room, getting familiar with her control. Her bare feet crept along the cold floor, and she moved her arms and lips, gaining more command over the movements every second.

Without thinking, Bo found herself staring at Lauren's sleeping body.

Silently, Bo studied Lauren's face. In sleep, without the worries and stresses of the day, her features looked peaceful, almost angelic. Little by little, she inched a little closer, knowing it was an invasion of Lauren's privacy. It was silly beyond belief to watch her like that, but Bo couldn't resist the urge to check on her, to be close to her.

After several minutes, Lauren blinked her eyes open. She saw Tamsin watching her with a far away expression from the doorway.

Sitting up, Lauren pulled the blankets over her body. "Tamsin were you watching me sleep?"

Bo/Tamsin hesitated, mouth partly open to answer, weighing her responses. "I wanted to apologize for this morning," Bo said at last.

"And you couldn't wait until I was awake?" Lauren squinted her eyes, her voice fatigued.

The whole situation was decidedly odd, and Bo was still trying to figure out what to say when Lauren laughed. "You're acting so strange, Tamsin." She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and shook her head.

"I thought you might need something or…" Bo paused when Lauren shifted and eased her hand over her belly. "Is the baby kicking?" She asked, cheerfully.

Lauren frowned and gave her a long, scrutinizing look. "Yes."

Bo took a few steps forward, then paused, unable to stop herself, she asked, "Can I feel?" She extended her hand but then withdrew it and waited for Lauren's answer.

"Have you lost your mind, Tamsin?" Lauren's scowl radiated utter confusion.

Bo didn't like the way Lauren was looking at her, but she sat on the edge of the bed anyway. She could visibly see the wheels spinning in Lauren's mind as she assessed her face. "Please, Lauren. Is it okay?" She asked, quietly.

Lauren's hand slid away from her stomach, and she shrugged. "Okay."

Bo glided Tamsin's hand across Lauren's stomach and felt a tiny flutter under her fingertips. The touch evoked all kinds of strange, unfamiliar emotions into Bo, and she couldn't hold back her tears. "Wow. She's really in there, huh?" Bo kept Tamsin's teary eyes down to avoid Lauren's gaze.

"Yeah," Lauren said with a tiny laugh, but turned grave and watched Tamsin's hand on her stomach. "Why are you being nice to me?"

Bo moved Tamsin's hand slowly up and down Lauren's stomach. "I missed you."

Lauren frowned and tilted her head, dragging her gaze up and down Tamsin's body, evaluating her closely.

Bo pulled Tamsin's hand back, in an awkward gesture. "I mean, we're all family right?" She cleared her throat and shifted back. "How are you?" She asked to quickly change the subject.

Lauren shrugged and wrapped her arms tightly around her shoulders. "You don't want to hear about my problems."

"I do. You can talk to me." Bo(Tamsin) smiled, though her eyes were solemn, still faintly glinting with tears.

Lauren stared at her in astonishment. "I still say you are acting strange but okay. It's hard sometimes. I feel like I failed Bo…again." She bit the inside of her cheek and shifted her eyes down.

Bo's eyebrows knitted in concern. "Lauren, no. We're all doing the best we can. You didn't fail her. She made a choice."

Lauren's shoulder slumped, and she played with the blanket. "I wonder if she would have made that choice if her heart wasn't broken by me."

"She would have. I know it. You're not to blame." Bo dropped her voice to almost a whisper at the end.

Lauren drew a breath and raised her eyes to study Tamsin's face and consider her words. "I wish I could believe that. I feel guilty that I'm just sitting here unable to help her. I feel useless."

"You have to take care of yourself and the baby. That's what Bo would want. Your health and safety outweighs everything else." Bo reached out to take Lauren's hand but caught herself and folded them in her lap instead.

Lauren was taken aback, and her next words were hesitant. "Well, thanks for the advice. But you don't want to listen to me babble on about my troubles. About my regrets."

"We all live with regret."

Tears fell down Lauren's cheek and without thinking Bo moved to brush them off her face.

Lauren shifted back and stared at her with wide eyes. "Tamsin, what are you doing?" She quickly wiped her own tears away.

Then, abruptly, Bo jumped off the bed. "Sorry, I think the shaman scrambled my brain." She drew the covers up around Lauren. "Get some sleep," She said softly before rushing out of the room without looking back.

Lauren watched Tamsin close the door. She eased down on her side, her thoughts wouldn't leave Bo, so she stared at the wall with her hand on her belly and waited for sleep to take her.

XXXXX

The next morning, Bo was back in her real body, again for a second. She wavered between the two realities, back and forth between Tamsin's body and her own, the voices around her cut in and out.

Faint voices cut through her consciousness. She laid still and strained to hear through the lines between the different realities colliding in her. Her body seemed to be in the backseat of a car traveling at a high speed.

The voice around her was murmured, low, and rumbling. "Oh yes, Bo is free from the underworld. Locked inside the vessel. Now we can continue our plan."

The voice faded followed immediately by silence. She couldn't keep a hold on remaining in her own body. It kept fracturing; the voices danced at the edge of her hearing.

All of a sudden, the voice grew crisper, more vivid as she tried to distinguish between two existences. "Controlling the body is a lengthy process, we had to release the soul. The only way to reanimate the body was to get Bo back in this realm. But a body and soul cannot be separated for long. We must act quickly. She's a powerful mind and the process may have already started."

With great effort, she focused as much as possible on hearing when she drifted back into her body again.

"The era of human dominance is ending, the Ancients are rising…"

Tamsin wrenched forward, her eyes popped open, as Bo burst back into her, scattering into her mind. "Stop doing that!" She barked.

" _I have no control over it."_ Bo's voice was painfully loud, and Tamsin winced and pressed her fingers into her ears.

Tamsin glanced around the room and pointed a finger at her temple. "You know what? Why don't you-"

" _Quiet. They're planning to do something with my body."_ Bo's voice rose sharply, exploding in Tamsin's ear again.

"Kinky," Tamsin interjected dismissively.

" _Where's Lauren?"_ Bo asked promptly.

Tamsin rose from the couch and frowned. "The clinic working, I guess."

" _Call her, now."_ Bo's voice was an order and a plea.

Without arguing back, Tamsin fished out her cell phone and called Lauren. "Voicemail," She said after a few seconds.

" _Shit! Get over there."_ Bo gave another command, ready to take control of the body if she needed to.

"I..." Tamsin started to protest.

But Bo cut her off. _"Now!"_ She cried.

Tamsin gave a quick nod and clamped her mouth shut. Quickly, she was at the door and pulled it open. On the other side of the door stood half a dozen armed Fae. "Sorry, Valkyrie we cannot not let you pass." One drawled out, blocking her way.


	7. Chapter 7

Tamsin flew backward, stumbled and fell hard onto the floor when one of the many Fae attacked her, kicking her square in the chest.

Lying staring at the ceiling, Tamsin wondered what she had done to find herself in this situation. She could taste the blood from her lip, and her whole face hurt.

Quickly, she rolled out of the way before it could take another swing at her. "I take it back. They're tougher than they look."

" _Give me control,"_ Bo bellowed, a dark, commanding tone. Bo's voice pierced through Tamsin's head, increasing the pain.

Getting to her feet, Tamsin spat blood out onto the floor and stared down at her ruined shirt. "I will not," She barked back, and caught hold of the Fae demon before it landed another blow. "This is my body. You caused this whole crazy mess, and that means you have to sit back and allow me to take the lead. Enjoy the ride."

Tamsin sucked her stomach when its claws cut through her shirt again. She shoved into its chest and flung it against the nearest wall. Another one lunged at her, its claws scrapped through her arm, leaving a deep gash in its wake. "Oh, hell," She hollered, and her hand flew to her arm to stop the bleeding.

" _Tamsin, give me control,"_ Bo was back to her commanding tone.

"I didn't ask you to jump into my body and drag me into this mess. I want you gone."

" _Fine, I'll sit back and watch as you get your ass kicked. It'll be fun."_

"Why can't I use my powers on them? What in the hell are these things?" A swift kick to the head caused a lunging Fae to stumble backward before it could reach her.

Bo's voice thundered inside Tamsin's head. _"That's why I told you to give me control. I'll use my powers like with the shaman."_

"No…" Tamsin started to protest again.

Without further pressing from Bo, Tamsin heaved forward, and power surged through her, making her senses go into overdrive, as Bo took control of her body.

Bo, now in control, unleashed her power, pulling chi from all the targets at once. Together, their bodies froze before dropping limply to the floor. Bo strayed Tamsin's eyes over the unconscious Fae lying on the floor.

After a moment, Tamsin rested against the wall, confused and dizzy. "Don't you go around stealing control of my body. That's a violation."

" _I just saved your ass. Now get to Lauren before I take control again."_ Bo used that commanding tone, again.

Tamsin rolled her eyes but obeyed, stepping over the bodies lying on the floor to get to the door.

XXXX

Kenzi stood behind the bar at the Dal, rubbing a shot glass with a white towel, her gaze locked on Dyson.

"Mark cleaned those already, what are you doing?" Dyson asked as he walked up and sat in front of her at the bar.

Kenzi looked at the shot glass, slammed it down and tossed the towel to the side. "We can't keep this from Lauren. It's not right."

Dyson glanced around over the heads of the patrons, an uneasy wrinkle on his brow. "It's not our secret to tell." He groaned, frustration getting the better of him.

"I hate this," Kenzi said, "I hate keeping this secret. Lauren shouldn't be the only one in the dark about this."

Dyson shrugged. "Bo, will tell her when she's ready."

Kenzi leaned on the bar with her body and pointed a finger at him. "Has everyone lost their minds around here? Bo needs her body back, and here we are twiddling our thumbs while dealing with something as trivial as secret keeping." She narrowed her eyes at Dyson.

Dyson looked away from Kenzi, lowered his head and shifted around the napkins on the bar. "Bo doesn't want to stress Lauren out. She's trying to protect her."

"Secrets don't protect anyone. And I guess Lauren has never been helpful in a crisis? I mean that big brain of hers couldn't possibly help with this whole thing." She rolled her eyes. "She's more vulnerable without the truth. And we're more vulnerable without her help."

Dyson threw his hands up. "What do you want to do?"

Silence fell between them, and Kenzi raked her eyes down Dyson's face, scrutinizing him.

"Let's tell her. We need to be a united family right now." Kenzi announced with conviction.

Dyson's frown intensified. "It's not our place," He said in a gruff voice that betrayed the fact that he didn't wholly believe what he was saying.

Kenzi blew out an irritated breath. "It is our place! Lauren's family. It's been Lauren and I, alone, for a while now. You haven't had to cuddle with her at night when she's upset and crying or rub her feet…"

Dyson's expression softened, and his lips curved into a small smile. "You massage Lauren's feet?"

"I'm proud to say yes I have…many times. She's alone; she needs someone."

Dyson felt Kenzi's intense gaze on him and shoved away from the bar, flicking another glance around the bar. "Bo won't like it." He literally growled the words.

A smile fitted across Kenzi's lips, as she knew she had won the argument. "She'll get over it."

Arm and arm they left the Dal to go find Lauren.

XXXX

Lauren ground to a halt, with broad shocked eyes, the moment her gaze landed on Bo, her expression softened as she realized she was actually looking at Bo. That Bo was only a few feet away from her. But she kept still, waiting for Bo to speak or make a move. Something about Bo's sudden appearance gave her pause.

Bo raked her eyes over her and smiled. "Lauren, it's real I'm here."

When Bo looked at Lauren, right into her eyes, a heavy sorrow pressed down on Lauren, and she fought against her tears.

Lauren frowned at her, questions flicking through her mind. Her gaze wandered over Bo's shoulder. "How…" She trailed off and tried to smile to alleviate her uncertainties. "How did you escape?" She asked, still biting back her tears and her increasing apprehension.

Bo moved smoothly toward her. "I'll explain on the way." She extended her hand expectantly and waited for Lauren to take it.

Lauren met Bo's eyes again and saw a glimpse of something behind her eyes, which spoke volumes to her. There was something about Bo that was off. If instinct told her anything, she should be cautious. "I don't understand. What's happening?" She stepped away from Bo while she tried to keep a clear head despite the raw emotions and confusion that were running through her.

"The baby is in trouble. We have to go now. I'll explain on the way." Bo frowned at Lauren, her eyes darkening before her gaze shot around the room, edgily.

"Go where?" Lauren asked with another step back. The look in Bo's eyes triggered more internal warnings. Maybe it was nothing, and this was Bo, but her gut knew that was a lie. Something was seriously wrong, off about Bo.

Bo skated her eerie gaze back to Lauren, and Lauren's stomach dropped. "To a safe place for you and the baby." Bo's tone grew progressively impatient.

Those words sent a shiver through Lauren. "Okay. But I need to let my assistant know I'm leaving. You remember my assistant, right? Karen Beattie."

Bo nodded and folded her hands behind her back. "Of course, Karen. Yes, go tell her, but quickly. We need to go."

"Right." Lauren forced a smile, her mind in overdrive. "It will only take a minute or two." Her adrenaline spiked, as she carefully strode back into her office as casual as possible. She frowned and squinted in Bo's direction to make sure she was waiting and not following her. Her heart and mind raced, and she breathed deeply. She had to keep a sharp head to get out of this. She didn't whom and what was controlling Bo's body, but one thing she knew for sure it wasn't Bo.

Lauren's gaze darted to her desk off to her left. Could she make it there and get her tranquilizer gun before Bo noticed? Her eyes moved back to Bo, strategizing her next move.

Lauren decided she had to go for it, and as methodically and carefully as possible she inched to her desk and slipped the tranquilizer gun into her white lab coat pocket.

Bo's attention snapped to her, and she smiled. It was Bo's smile but not Bo's smile, and Lauren's skin crawled staring at her.

Bo continued to smile and walked toward Lauren, slowly. She paused at the entryway and shifted her body to block the exit. "Ready?"

Lauren's heart leaped with fear freezing her in place, for a moment, while she stared wordlessly at Bo. "Who are you?" Lauren asked as she whipped out her tranquilizer gun and pointed it directly at Bo's chest.

Taking slow, measured steps, Bo moved in Lauren's direction. "It's me, Bo." She held up her hands and gave her an empty smirk.

Bo's eyes lingered on the gun and then turned up to Lauren's eyes. A silent threat. She meant to warn Lauren not to attempt to use it on her.

Lauren held the gun firm in front of her, mentally assessing her options. "Who are you? Where's Bo?" She was sure it wasn't likely to answer, but she had to ask.

Bo scowled at her. "Don't make this difficult on yourself, Dr. Lewis. Come with me." Bo said the words with icy calculation as her eyes locked on Lauren's.

"Where's Bo?" Lauren repeated her question and swallowed hard, trying to get her thoughts together and think clearly.

Bo inched forward a fraction and Lauren steadied the gun and fired, striking Bo in the shoulder. Lauren's heart pounded a million times a minute, and she gaped as Bo lurched forward and fell to the ground.

XXXXX

Seconds later, the door burst open, and Kenzi and Dyson raced into the room, Dyson leading the charge. Dyson rushed over and pulled Lauren away from Bo's unconscious body. Lauren untangled herself from Dyson's hold and stared at the space between her and Bo's body. Blinking slowly, trying to get her mind around what had just happened.

Kenzi wandered up to Lauren with her eyes on Bo. "What happened? How…what?"

Dyson's nostrils flared, his eyes darkened, and he growled at Bo's body as he sniffed the air.

"That's not Bo." Lauren said the words slowly and looked to her side directly at Kenzi. "She tried to get me to go with her, but I knew it wasn't her, so I shot it with a tranquilizer dart."

Dyson began to pace, his jaw tensing while he avoided Lauren's eyes.

Lauren opened her mouth to ask Dyson what was wrong, but all their attention turned to the door when Tamsin entered the lab, out of breath, her eyes darted between Bo's body and Lauren.

Silence filled the room, and everyone could sense the restlessness as it hung in the air between them. No one wanted to speak first.

Lauren scanned all their faces and marched up to Tamsin. "Bo Dennis, what is going on?" She demanded, searching Tamsin's eyes looking for a glimpse of Bo.

" _Shit."_

Tamsin's jaw fell open, and she shifted back. "How long have you known?" She asked.

Lauren pointed at Bo's body and back at Tamsin. "It wasn't that hard to put together after the last few days." She narrowed her eyes at Tamsin. "You did ask to feel my stomach."

" _Shit."_

Tamsin grunted and slowly raised her eyes up to the ceiling. "Were you walking around groping your ex with my hands?"

" _Never mind that. Let's focus on why my body's here."_

Tamsin nudged Bo's body with her foot. "Well, there it is, jump back in."

" _Don't do that! And it doesn't work like that."_

Lauren squeezed Tamsin's shoulders to force her to meet her eyes. "Bo, are you going to tell me what's going on?" She couldn't hide the anger and hurt from her voice. She wanted answers.

Tamsin wiggled away from Lauren and scrubbed her hands down her face. "What in the hell is Bo's body doing here?" Tamsin asked, ignoring Lauren's question.

Kenzi kneeled down and studied Bo's body. "Some creep is inside your body, Bo. Doesn't that freak you out?"

"Ha. Half the city's already been inside Bo." Tamsin said, right before her hand gripped her mouth shut. "I was joking," She muffled against her hand to Bo. After a few seconds, Bo released her.

"Who's in there?" Dyson asked, still pacing around the room.

Lauren watched the back and forth, growing aggravated she stalked back into her office to think. Only Kenzi noticed, and she followed closely behind.

Lauren eased down into her desk chair and rested her hand on her stomach, watching as Kenzi closed the door behind her.

"It sounds absolutely insane. But Bo was able to escape the underworld by using Tamsin's body as a vessel." Kenzi explained, propping her feet up on Lauren's desk and crossing her arms. "So, they're both sharing the body."

Lauren watched Dyson drag Bo's body into the glass cage to secure the body. She turned her attention entirely to Kenzi. "Well, what now? How do we get Bo back into her body? What's the plan?"

"You're not mad?"

Lauren sighed and shrugged. "I'm tired, Kenzi. It's one thing after another. I don't have the energy to be upset." She met Tamsin's eyes from across the lab. "I'm sure Bo had her reasons. In the grand scheme of things, Bo's back…sort of…that's what's important."

"Pragmatic 'til the end. Well, let's put that brain of yours to work and figure this out. Clearly, someone wanted to use Bo's body to get to you and probably the baby."

Lauren nodded in agreement, paused and flipped through her cell phone. "I know a necromancer who owes me a favor…"

Kenzi darted her eyes back and forth between Lauren and her phone. "Lauren, what are you doing hanging out with a necromancer? Exchanging brownie recipes?"

"Close, cake recipes, actually," Lauren answered deadpan.

Kenzi threw her head back to chuckle. "You're kidding?"

Even as Lauren nodded a yes, her mind turned back to Bo, assessing the situation, searching for a solution.

"Uh huh. You're an odd one Lauren; that's for sure."

"Well, she might be able to get Bo back into her body, or at the very least point us in the right direction. It's worth a shot."

Kenzi sat up straight and slapped the desk. "See, I knew you'd have a plan."

Meanwhile, Tamsin rolled her eyes as Bo said, _"Go talk to Lauren. Make sure she's not upset."_

"I don't care if she's angry, upset, or sad, or whatever. It's not up to me to coddle your on again, off again girlfriend. Plus, I'm sure you'll steal control of my body and talk to her later."

" _I'm sorry about that, but it's hard to just sit back and watch while things happen."_

"I swear if you kiss Lauren with my lips I'll exorcise you myself." Tamsin sneered and let out a string of curses.

" _Grow up."_

Dyson dashed his eyes to Tamsin and shook his head at the half conversation he was overhearing.

After ten minutes of edgy quarreling between Tamsin and Bo, Lauren and Kenzi walked back into the room. "We'll keep Bo's body secured here and interrogate her…it…whatever when it wakes up," Lauren announced, getting Bo/Tamsin and Dyson's attention.

"Is that a good idea?" Dyson asked, his eyes locked on Bo's limp body behind the glass.

Lauren raked her fingers through her hair and noticed Tamsin settle next to her, Tamsin's piercing eyes flashed with irritation. "We don't really have a choice," Lauren answered keenly ignoring Tamsin.

"I'll stay here and guard her," Dyson said, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of the glass enclosure.

"Fine. Kenzi and I will track down a necromancer that I know and see if she can't help us." Lauren said, gesturing a finger between Kenzi and herself.

"What about us?" Tamsin asked after Bo's continued insisting.

"Who am I talking to right now?" Lauren asked, watching her carefully, trying to puzzle out whom she was talking to.

" _She's upset."_

Tamsin pressed her hand to her forehead, in a vain attempt to block Bo's voice out, and rolled her eyes. "It's Tamsin, and I don't plan on taking orders from you."

"I don't care what you do, just keep Bo safe." Lauren snapped and abruptly turned her back on Tamsin.

" _Tell her we'll go to the necromancer and she can go home and rest."_

"Um, no." Tamsin murmured, curtly.

Lauren shifted to look at her again. "Were you talking to me?" Tamsin's strange tendency to answer Bo out loud was taking some getting used to for everyone.

Tamsin shook her head. "No, a pest."

" _I don't want her stressed out. She looks tired, she should sleep."_

"Geez, Bo she's a grown woman. I don't need to tell her when to sleep." Tamsin said with a bitter laugh.

Everyone stared at Tamsin after her outburst. "Lauren, Bo requests you go home and rest," Tamsin said, in a fake sweet voice.

"I'm pregnant, not ill. I can still work and do anything else." Lauren's eyebrows drew together in frustration, and she couldn't hide the exasperation in her voice.

" _But I'm back, I…we can go so she doesn't have to."_

Through gritted teeth, Tamsin relayed Bo's message.

Lauren's gaze intensified on Tamsin, never wavering as she searched for a glimpse of Bo. "Absolutely not. I can go, it's my contact."

" _But..."_

"Ahhhhh." Tamsin screamed, let her head fall back, and stared up at the ceiling. "How long am I going to be forced to witness Bo and Lauren melodrama? Will someone just shoot me now? You're not even together and yet you bicker like an old married couple. It's enough to make a girl wanna puke."

Lauren rolled her eyes and at the same time Bo said, _"Are you done? We'll stay and watch my body, have Kenzi, Mark and Vex go check the apartment for our attackers. And Lauren and Dyson can go whatever they need to go."_

Tamsin rolled her shoulders and neck and repeated Bo's words. After a few more minutes of debating who would go where, they all agreed to Bo's instructions.

Kenzi rushed off first to get Vex and Mark. Dyson dutifully waited for Lauren to gather up her things.

" _Tell Lauren to be careful."_

"Suck it, Bo, no." Tamsin gave Lauren a mock-friendly wave and collapsed into the chair in front of the cage.

Minutes later, Lauren walked back into the room and glanced at Tamsin, who wasn't paying any attention. She opened her mouth to say something to Bo, but quickly closed it and rushed wordlessly by Tamsin.

Side by side Lauren and Dyson left the lab, Lauren filling Dyson in on her plan and giving him information about the necromancer.

 **XXXX**

 **AN**

 **To answer a question: Yes I'm keeping some things from 5b (like the break up) but ignoring a few things, like Tamsin's entire storyline.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	8. Chapter 8

" _Don't start,"_ Bo said as Tamsin insisted on reminding her about her breakup with Lauren, again.

Tamsin shoved herself out of the chair and paced in front of the glass. "I didn't say anything. It's your relationship." She shot back in an annoyed tone.

" _Seriously, don't,"_ Bo warned, harshly. _"You don't know what you're talking about."_

"Could you feel my eye roll?" Tamsin's patience was starting to wear thin; she desperately craved a few moments respite from Bo's voice. She wanted nothing more than to be alone in her own mind.

" _What do you want me to do? Ignore Lauren? She's carrying my child and despite everything I still love her."_ Bo whispered, her voice barely audible to Tamsin's ears.

Tamsin bit her lip and struggled to keep her retorts at bay. "Okay, but no more using my fingers for petting sessions."

" _I already apologized for that. It was only to feel my baby. And it was incredible. I've already missed so much, so many moments, so many firsts..."_

"How do you know the baby is yours?" Tamsin couldn't hold that question back. "I bet she got drunk and boned some dude…"

" _Stop,"_ Bo warned again from deep within Tamsin. _"Lauren would never lie about that. And I know the baby is mine I've had dreams about her."_

Tamsin snorted. "If you say so."

" _How long have they been gone? They should be back by now."_

Tamsin ran her fingers up and down the glass, watching Bo's unconscious body on the other side. "You're an abysmal conversationalist; you know that? Lauren, Lauren, Lauren…oh, and more Lauren."

Tamsin halted her movements as she felt Bo's annoyance swell inside her, and it made her feel guilty. Their emotions were starting to mingle together, and it shook Tamsin to her core. She was losing even more of herself to Bo. She felt like she was disappearing and being replaced by Bo. And that pissed her off.

Bo ignored the barbs and changed the subject. _"Let's try and wake it up."_ She prompted. _"Get some answers."_

"I'm more than just a vessel to carry you about from one place to another! I don't take orders from you." Tamsin shot back still infuriated by feeling Bo's emotions, so she was lashing out.

" _I know that. I…"_ Bo's voice trailed off.

When Bo's voice went silent, it felt strange for Tamsin to hear only her own voice inside her head, to hear her own thoughts.

Tamsin watched as Bo's body rose from the bed. "Bo?" She asked, with wide, shocked eyes.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, Dyson followed behind Lauren, surveying the scene around them. There was a small house a short way in front of them. He sniffed the air for danger but allowed Lauren to take the lead, for now.

They came to a halt a few feet from the door, and Dyson ran his eyes over it. "Lauren, are you sure about this?"

"It's okay." Lauren said and stalked past Dyson, heading toward the door. "You can trust her."

Dyson grabbed her arm to stop her. "How did you meet a necromancer? It's not exactly common around here."

"I see a lot of different Fae, humans and such come in and out of the clinic. And don't judge others you know nothing about." Lauren gave him a knowing look.

Dyson released her arm. "That was different," He said, sheepishly.

"Not so different," Lauren said as she knocked three times on the small door. "You judged me before you knew me, and now look at us. Fighting on the same side."

Before Dyson could counter the door swung open. No one greeted them, and Dyson entered the house first with Lauren quickly at his heels.

They lingered in a large room, waiting for someone to acknowledge them.

"Dr. Lewis, it's wonderful to see you." A cheerful voice drifted from the other room.

Dyson walked past Lauren, heading further into the house. When Dyson set eyes on the woman, walking toward them, a ripple of heat blasted through him. He was fully aware of her staring at him with a bright smile. She was not what he had expected at all. He imagined an old crone, but she was youthful, beautiful and alluring.

Dyson could only stare back at her in stunned silence as she prowled up to him. Her long lashes and dark make-up outlined piercing green eyes with long black hair flowing behind her.

"My gods, you're beautiful," Dyson blurted out, momentarily released from his trance.

Lauren scoffed and glared at him. "Why is everyone always stealing my line?"

"What?" Dyson asked with his eyes still locked on the approaching woman.

"Nothing," Lauren mumbled under her breath.

"Cicely," She said when she reached them, and extended her hand to Dyson. He took and shook it firmly. "And what do they call you?" She asked, staring directly into his eyes.

Dyson coughed at the wave of heat following their touch. "Dyson." He watched her with a mixture of awe, desire, and confusion. The soft light of the house played on her sculpted cheekbones and full lips. She was incredibly beautiful and tall, meeting him eye to eye.

A grin spread across Cicely's face. "Wonderful," She said, a hint of fascination in her voice. She twirled around and sauntered off. "Let's talk in the kitchen," She called out to Dyson and Lauren.

Dyson didn't move he watched Cicely's graceful, easy steps away from him. Sensuality cascaded off her with each fluid stride. Each shift of her lean hips had his gaze drifting over her body before he could stop himself.

Lauren glanced back and forth between them and nudged Dyson's shoulder. "Wake up, we don't have a lot of time," She said, sharply.

Dyson shook himself to the present, reminding himself he was there to get answers about Bo, not admire this Cicely's beauty.

Lauren walked off, and he followed closely behind with his eyes locked on the floor.

They sat around the table and as Lauren explained the situation Dyson's eyes drifted back to the gorgeous woman sitting beside him. This necromancer named Cicely captivated his attention.

Cicely smirked and slid a glass across the table in Dyson's direction. His eyes dropped to the shot glass filled to the brim with a black liquid.

Cicely arched her eyebrow making it clear she was testing him. She wanted to see if he could handle downing such a strong shot of alcohol. And Dyson was always up for a challenge. He lifted the glass, saluted her and knocked it back quickly with his eyes fixed on her. The liquor burned, stirring his insides with fire, but he refused to give any indication of discomfort.

Her intense green gaze narrowed at him and she downed her shot back. She slammed down her glass and licked her lips and Dyson smirked.

Cicely leaned back, brushed her black hair off her face. "Well done, shifter," She said in a light melodic tone.

Lauren cleared her throat, trying to get their attention back on Bo. It was why they were there after all.

"Right, right your Bo." Cicely said to Lauren, but her eyes were on Dyson. "Reconnecting the soul and body will be dangerous, with significant risk for it to go awry if we aren't careful."

Lauren schooled her expression, steadied her heart and clasped her fingers together. "What do we have to do?"

Cicely shifted her eyes, and her gaze bore into Lauren's face. "I must perform a ritual with the soul and the body, in the same place."

"We have the body, so that's no problem," Dyson said, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand and not Cicely's enchanting attractiveness. Which was difficult as his head buzzed from the potent alcohol.

Cicely slid her eyes back to Dyson and found a keen edge to his expression. "We must also travel to the banks of the River Styx, so they can drink from the waters there during the ritual," She explained with a sweet, soft voice.

Lauren frowned deeply, pinching her eyebrows together. "You want Bo to go back to the underworld, the place she just escaped?"

Cicely's lips quirked into a small smile, and her eyes lit up, and she said, "No, the banks of the River Styx is not in the underworld. It's maybe a week's travel from here."

Lauren rested her head in her hands. "Anything else we should know?" She murmured without raising her head.

"There's always more Lauren, always." Cicely waved her hand in the air, trying to emphasize her point.

Dyson folded his arms across his chest and glared at her. He refused to let her beauty sidetrack him more. "Like what?" He demanded, sternly.

Cicely eyed him, her green eyes narrowed and her full lips compressed into a hard line. "The body and soul will always seek each other, and she will be pulled back into her body without her control. This process may have already begun."

"So, if we wait long enough Bo will get back to her body, anyway?" Dyson asked while his body relaxed. "We don't have to go to the river?"

Cicely expression turned sympathetic, and she shook her head. "Sharing a body is not sustainable. The two essences will begin to merge with the stronger of the two taking control."

At that, Lauren lifted her head and looked at Dyson, and then Cicely. "Meaning Bo." She made it a statement, not a question because she knew it to be true.

"I assume, yes, the succubus is the dominant soul. The Valkyrie is more than likely already experiencing the shift in control over to Bo." Cicely answered softening her tone when Dyson and Lauren stiffened.

Lauren exhaled a breath. She supposed she should have known that the situation would be complicated, but she wasn't expecting to hear this information.

"What will happen to Tamsin?" Dyson asked, glancing towards Lauren with an alarmed expression.

Cicely's eyes darkened and her lips thinned again. "If their essences fully merge, the dominant soul will absorb the other."

"She'll just vanish?" Dyson asked for clarification, and Cicely nodded. "We go to the River Styx then, get what you need so you can perform the transfer," He added with his eyes now on Lauren.

Lauren was quiet trying to absorb everything with a clear head. "How much time do we have until they merge?" She slanted her head to one side and narrowed her eyes on Cicely waiting for more bad news.

"The stronger the soul, the faster it will absorb the other. We should leave in the morning." Cicely answered.

Dyson sprang up from his chair and advanced steps away from the table. "Lauren, let's go tell Bo and Tamsin."

XXXX

Bo, inside her own body, blinked slowly and tried to discern the situation through a cloudy mind. She turned her attention to Tamsin staring at her from the other side of the glass.

"Bo?" Tamsin repeated. "Who's in there with you?"

Bo frowned and glanced down at her fingers as she wiggled them back and forth, waiting for her faculties to all come back.

"Bo!" Tamsin shouted and pounded on the glass to get her attention.

Bo's chest rose and fell, as she breathed heavily. It was jarring to be thrust back and forth between her body and Tamsin's.

Tamsin kicked the glass. "Bo! Find out who's in there with you."

Bo didn't hesitate to consider the situation anymore. She stared at her own reflection. "Who are you? Show yourself." She ordered out loud.

Bo waited, and watched her reflection. Nothing. She searched within herself, hoping to catch a glimpse of who was inside her body. Nothing. "Face me."

She concentrated, focusing everything she had on pulling out the spirit that was with her. "Coward. Show yourself."

Inside of Bo, she could feel an essence awakening, swelling up. Laughter erupted, ringing ominously and gruff against Bo's ears.

" _We have no interest in you succubus; your power is gone. Your real power. It disappeared when you confined your soul to the underworld. You are no more than an ordinary, useless succubus now."_ The voice filled Bo's head like liquefied loathing. It seeped through her veins, and she braced herself against the glass trying to see past herself to get a glimpse of who was inside her. She needed to know who was there.

As she stared at herself, the eyes staring back at her from the reflection were no longer her own. It belonged to someone with wild glowing eyes. _"Poor succubus. Poor wretched succubus. You have no idea the power you're up against. No idea how to stop us."_ The unknown voice said.

Bo squeezed her eyes closed, tamping down her nerves. "What do you want?" She asked with a shaky voice. And then louder, with more resolve she shouted, "Tell me!" She slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the harsh light and her own eyes stared back at her this time.

Silence.

Her calm shattered and her heart spiked in response to the silence. "My daughter?" The words were heavy on Bo's tongue.

Silence.

Bo knew it. As much as it scared her to admit, she knew what they wanted. They wanted her daughter. They wanted Isabeau. That roused the deepest protective instincts she held, the most primal reflexes.

But before she could probe further Bo was thrust back into Tamsin's body.

Bo and Tamsin watched as Bo's body fell hard onto the ground, back to unconsciousness.

"That was at least fun to watch." Tamsin laughed at Bo's motionless body on the ground. "Did you learn anything?"

" _Not really,"_ Bo answered, and Tamsin could feel Bo's restlessness as it mixed with her own emotions.

Shortly after, Kenzi walked into the lab. "Body removal is no longer in my job description." She sank into a chair, and her head fell back. "I need a vacation."

"Tell me about it," Tamsin muttered and grimaced, ignoring Bo's voice as she insisted on a full report from Kenzi.

"Dyson and Lauren aren't back?" Kenzi asked, still staring at the ceiling.

"No." Tamsin pressed her hand to her forehead when a swift stab of pain pierced her head. Each time Bo jumped back and forth from her body, the pain increased, and so did Tamsin's concern. Now her body was flooded with so many different emotions; she wasn't sure which were hers and which were Bo's.

XXXXX

An hour later, Dyson and Lauren returned. They immediately relayed what Cicely had told them.

"If this works I'll get my body back?" Tamsin asked harshly when they finished. Perhaps she was becoming more blunt and forceful, but the ache in her head and Bo's voice were wearing her tolerance down, and her temper was getting the better of her.

Lauren and Dyson nodded. "We leave tomorrow," Dyson added, watching Tamsin/Bo's reaction.

" _Someone needs to stay and keep Lauren and Kenzi safe,"_ Bo said straightaway and Tamsin without thinking promptly communicated the message. It was as if Bo's urgency had compelled her to do so.

"Look, we've done a pretty great job of taking care of ourselves over the past few months." Kenzi reminded everyone. "We're not helpless."

"I agree," Lauren added, ignoring Tamsin's eyes. "We're very capable on our own." She glanced at Kenzi and smiled.

" _But now someone's after Lauren,"_ Bo said and again the word's left Tamsin's mouth without her control. "And after the baby."

Dyson paced with his eyes darting between Kenzi and Lauren. "I'll make sure Vex and Mark look after them," He said, pausing to glance at Tamsin/Bo.

" _I don't like it,"_ Bo answered.

"What choice do we have? I need my body; you need your body." Tamsin snapped back to Bo. "Some things are more important than Lauren Lewis!"

Lauren shot Tamsin a look as she argued with Bo out loud and she refused to be provoked, so she walked away. She settled in the corner of the lab leaving Dyson, Bo and Tamsin to figure out a plan. She was tired and not in the mood to have another row with Tamsin or Bo or…

" _There's also the baby and Kenzi. So please don't…"_ Bo countered, cutting off a string of complaints from Tamsin.

Tamsin talked over Bo's voice, her words tumbling together. "Did you hear them? We'll end up merging with me disappearing."

At the same time, Kenzi settled next to Lauren and wrapped her arm around her. "Looks like it is you and me, again." Kenzi's voice was quiet as she drew Lauren further away from Tamsin's yelling.

Lauren chuckled and let Kenzi guide her to the other room. "Yeah," She said leaning back against the desk.

"Do you really think this crazy plan will work?" Kenzi asked, and glanced over her shoulder at Tamsin, who was still arguing with Bo, loudly.

Distractedly, Lauren rested her hand on her stomach. "Oh, I'm sure it will work but it probably won't be easy."

Kenzi laughed at that. "It never is. Maybe we should stay with Evony while they're gone." She suggested, her eyes lit up at her own idea.

Lauren stilled and looked at Kenzi, her eyes shifting back and forth. "Stay with Evony?"

Kenzi shrugged. "There's no shame in hiding. Plus, mansion." She circled her hands in the air as she said the word mansion.

Lauren exhaled loudly. "I don't think Evony wouldn't help me."

Kenzi's eyes were gentle filled with unspoken reassurances. "It's better than staying with Vex in his RV." She nudged Lauren's shoulder with her finger. "Ask her."

Lauren glanced at Tamsin right when she threw her hands into the air, yelling at Bo. "Maybe," She said after a pause, considering the pros and cons of Kenzi's suggestion. "Okay, I'll ask her," She said, finally yielding after a long moment of evaluation.

XXXX

Tamsin passed out at some point. It might have been shortly after they arrived home, but Bo was distracted by the upcoming trip and didn't notice for a time.

Taking control of Tamsin's body might not be the best decision, but Bo couldn't resist the chance to talk to Lauren before they left. She could only regret it later, but even now she couldn't manage to bring herself to actually feel sorry for it. She had no intentions other than talking to Lauren, and she would apologize to Tamsin later.

Bo knocked softly at the bedroom door. "Hey, it's me," She whispered into the dark room.

"Bo?" Lauren reached over and turned on the light on the nightstand.

Bo took a few steps into the room. "I was wondering if I could come in and sit with you for a while?"

Lauren hesitated and then nodded, causing the strands of her hair to brush her cheeks. "Alright."

Bo sat on the edge of the bed and reached for Lauren without thinking. "How are you?" She asked gently.

Lauren shrugged, and flinched back away from Bo's touch. "I'm fine."

Lauren was good at concealing her feelings in her voice and face, at times, but she couldn't hide them from Bo. "Lauren, please. It's me. You don't have to pretend." She cocked her head expectantly, waiting for Lauren to speak as she raked Tamsin's eyes over Lauren's face.

Bo studied Lauren's face, the way she always did like she couldn't get enough of looking at her. But it was with Tamsin's eyes and that unnerved Lauren.

Feeling uncomfortable, Lauren put a pillow over her herself like a shield. "I'm sorry, but I can't talk to you when you're like this. It's too weird. It's too confusing."

"I know…" Bo paused and inched closer. "I really want to touch you right now," She whispered, she regretted it as soon as the words escaped her.

Lauren squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. "Don't. Please, don't." She whispered, pleadingly.

Bo looked down at Tamsin's hands. "I won't." She drew back away from Lauren and folded Tamsin's hands into her lap.

"Where is Tamsin, anyway?" Lauren asked quickly to change the subject.

Bo lifted her gaze to Lauren and smiled. "Sleeping."

Lauren smiled back and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "She's not going to be happy about you using her body to talk to me."

The smile dropped from Tamsin's face, and Bo turned serious. "I had to see you before I left. Tamsin will get over it."

Lauren heaved a sigh and idly ran her fingers over the pillow. "There are so many things I want to say to you, but I can't not when you're you but not you."

Bo slowly reached for her hand, giving her time to adjust to her closeness, and when Lauren didn't flinch away, Bo carefully brushed Lauren's fingers. "Well, we'll talk when I get my body back."

Lauren nodded and lowered her eyes to Tamsin's fingers on her hand. She frowned thinking about how peculiar this situation was, how uncomfortable but comfortable it felt. She wasn't sure what was more difficult being alone while Bo was in the underworld, or now when she was there, but not. She supposed having a piece of Bo was better than nothing at all but it didn't make it easier.

At the same time, Tamsin stirred, awakening within her body. "You've got to be kidding me!" She shouted, and Bo jerked her hand from Lauren's.

"Sorry?" Lauren asked, momentarily confused by Tamsin's abrupt uproar.

"This is unacceptable." Tamsin snapped.

Lauren stared at her as the obvious sank in. "Oh, hi Tamsin," She said with an eye roll, pulling her arms close to her body.

" _We were just talking,"_ Bo said, letting Tamsin back in full control of her body.

Tamsin scrambled back off the bed and marched out of the room, cursing Bo along the way. She was fuming that Bo had once again hijacked her body despite her promising not to. She felt out of control that her body and mind were at Bo's mercy to be controlled whenever Bo wanted.

Lauren watched Tamsin storm off; a solemn smile touched her lips before she inched under the blankets. As she waited for sleep, she struggled with her thoughts and fears about Bo's trip and Cicely's warnings.

When she was finally able to clear her mind sleep took her, and she dreamed of a little girl walking along the beach hand and hand with Bo.

 **XXXX**

 **AN**

 **Sorry about the wait for an update.**

 **Next up: A little Evony**

 **Thanks y'all for reading and reviewing.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN**

 **A lot of quick transitions between what's happening with Bo and what's going on with Lauren this chapter.**

XXXX

"Well, well look at us, just a couple of human girls hanging out, drinking, talking." Evony held an amused smirk and slid a glass of wine in front of Lauren.

Lauren rolled her eyes and pushed it away.

Evony filled her glass again. "Trust me, Dr. Lewis, alcohol's good for the baby. I often drank while I was pregnant with my little monster."

"Wow, that explains a lot," Kenzi said while taking the glass of wine and downing it quickly.

Lauren ignored Evony and eyed her phone on the table. She checked for any messages from the group. Dyson was keeping her updated on everything he could, but she hadn't received any new information in hours. She slowly ate her sandwich because she was starving and she didn't feel like chatting with Evony.

Evony switched tactics. "So, Lauren, your precious is locked away inside tacky Tamsin's body." She shuttered, and Lauren frowned at her and quickly looked away. "Don't you think you're taking this star-crossed lovers schtick a little too far?"

Lauren tapped her foot under the table, and pushed away the impulse to take the bait and argue with Evony and instead focused on eating.

Evony's eyebrows rose, and she continued, "Why not settle down with a plain Jane farm girl or something? Pining after that succubus is getting just sad at this point."

Groaning, Lauren rubbed her hands down her face.

A triumphant grin slowly spread across Evony's face. "Who is the father, Lauren? I don't buy this story about you and Dyson. I imagine a turkey baster would knock you up before the wolf."

Kenzi choked on her drink and cupped her hand over her mouth to smother a laugh.

Lauren closed her eyes and stifled the heavy sigh that threatened to leave her lips.

Evony pursed her lips together, entertained with herself. "If you're going to swim in the sausage pond at least have standards."

Lauren's fatigued control slipped. "It's Bo's baby." She snapped, and Kenzi shot her a look of shock.

Evony's head fell back, and she howled with laughter. "Good one. You wish." She brought her head back down and glared at Lauren. "Unless Bo's hiding something under those tight leather pants. Which I doubt."

"I really don't care if you believe me or not," Lauren said, settling back into a soft and even tone.

Evony pressed her hand to Lauren's forehead. "Are you feeling, okay? Do you have pregnancy madness? A case of hysterics?"

Lauren flinched back away from Evony's touch. "Aw come on, no need to be a sourpuss," Evony said, smirking at Lauren's reaction. "We're all friends here." She leaned back and sipped her drink, slowly.

Lauren shrugged and winced as her hand flew to her back. A dull ache in her back was now throbbing. She drew in a sharp breath and stared at her plate of food.

"Are you having a party?" Kenzi asked, in an attempt to shift the conversation. Parties were a safer topic than the baby or Bo.

Evony's mouth tightened, and she glared at Kenzi. "I am. But you two are not invited. I don't want your mediocrity ruining my event." She waved her hand back and forth between them. "Stay out of sight."

Kenzi scoffed, indignation etched on her face. "I am the life of every party I attend."

Evony blinked quickly and stared at Kenzi with a mocking expression. "Oh, honey I'm sure you believe that."

Kenzi and Evony continued to talk about the event, and Lauren only half listened while her mind wandered to Bo. She curled a protective hand around her stomach and glanced at her phone.

XXXX

Bo, having taken control of Tamsin's body for the trip, glanced upward at the sky, but thick tree branches and clouds hid the sun. Her phone got no signal where they were, and it was difficult to determine what time of day it was, or how much time had passed since they started their hike to the river.

"How long from here?" Dyson asked at Cicely's side, pulling Bo's body along with a chain. The body was conscious now, but the entity inside had not said a word since awakening. It only walked silently along with the group.

A smirk creased Cicely's features, and her eyes sparkled. "We'll arrive before dark. We can rest if you'd like." Her tone was light and airy.

Dyson looked at her and managed a half smile; passion burned inside him once their eyes met.

"No," Bo interjected abruptly, "Let's finish this journey today." After all the sooner they got there, the sooner she could get her body back and go home. All she thought about was getting back to Lauren and the baby as soon as she could.

Maybe she had put too positive a spin on her talk with Lauren. The tricky thing about her conversation and interactions with Lauren was that a lot could be open to interpretation, and Lauren only said she wanted to talk, not get back together. But she couldn't help but be optimistic.

Tamsin silently listened to Bo's thoughts and conversation, she opted to wait, listen and say nothing. She was still fuming that Bo had taken over control of her body, but she wanted the journey over quickly and after an argument she relented control. But now she decided to give Bo the silent treatment.

"So why didn't this ritual need to be done to get Bo back in the first place?" Dyson asked, both from curiosity and the desire to hear Cicely speak.

"It's two separate rituals, one was to free her soul, which only a god or one with godlike powers can do, and this ritual is transferring a soul from one vessel to another," Cicely explained, keeping up a steady pace guiding the guide along.

Dyson frowned as her words sank in.

" _Stop calling me a vessel!"_ Tamsin shrieked causing Bo to jump slightly from the unexpectedness. _"I'm a powerful Fae! I've lived many lives…"_ She continued, and Bo forced a smile in Dyson's direction.

"So my question is, did they do all this to get to the baby or control the Pyrippus?" Bo asked interrupting Tamsin and giving Cicely a questioning look.

"Or both." Dyson added, and Bo nodded considering that.

XXXX

Lauren rested on the large bed in Evony's guest room, listening to the distant sounds from downstairs. To her, it sounded like the event had started. She stretched out on the bed and tried to read and ignore her phone. She still hadn't received an update, but she was working hard to keep her mind off it.

A knock at the door got her attention.

Kenzi peered into the room. "I can't believe she locked us out of her party! It's so rude." She gave Lauren a quick glance then walked into the room with a sigh.

"Well, technically we're supposed to be laying low and hiding," Lauren answered from the bed, and closed her book, tossing it to the side. She followed Kenzi's movements around the room with her eyes.

"It's still rude," Kenzi said with an eye roll. "You'd think being human would have taught her some manners."

Lauren bit back a laugh. "Human or Fae, Evony is still Evony."

"Unfortunately."

"We're going to die of boredom in this room." Kenzi plopped on the bed next to Lauren and flipped on the television.

Lauren rested a hand on her stomach with a small, private smile. But underlining everything was a sense of sadness and anxiety that she could not overcome.

"What's wrong, doc?" Kenzi asked, scrolling through the channels. "You're quiet…more quiet than normal."

Lauren rubbed the back of her neck, and her face turned thoughtful. "I'm just overwhelmed by all of it. I hope this works, and we get Bo back soon."

Kenzi nodded. "The Tamsin and Bo show is getting a little annoying. Yes, we need Bo back."

The baby kicked hard, and Lauren moved to cover her stomach again.

Kenzi gave her a sideways look. "I hope your baby's cute. There's nothing more awkward than an ugly baby."

Lauren laughed out loud and nudged her shoulder. "All babies are cute."

"Sure. That's what you tell the parents of ugly babies." Kenzi winked at her and grinned.

They fell silence and Isa struck up a kicking frenzy again and Lauren shifted positions. "I appreciate everything you've done for me. Being here for me."

"You're awfully bossy, wound a little too tight and you choose the creepiest profession ever, but you're family."

Lauren couldn't help but laugh. "Well, when you put it like that…"

Leaning forward, Kenzi turned serious and patted Lauren's leg. "You don't have to thank me. I like to think of little Isa as a third mine."

An amused smile spread across Lauren's features. "She'll be lucky to have you in her life."

"Yeah, she's going to need someone sane around." Kenzi teased, and her gazed dropped to Lauren's stomach. "But seriously she'll be lucky to have you…and Bo. She's the luckiest little chi baby ever."

Images of Bo's face played through Lauren's mind, another small fluttering in her stomach made her rub her hands up and down the hard bump. Lauren realized that no matter how far away Bo was, she wasn't alone, she had a part of Bo with her. And at that moment, she felt fortunate.

XXXX

They continued their track to the river, and Dyson lingered behind Bo/Tamsin and Cicely, still pulling Bo's body along.

"Love as powerful as yours finds a way," Cicely said to Bo as they walked down the riverbank side by side. "To continue, to grow. To overcome the odds."

Bo turned thoughtful and felt Tamsin's annoyance swell inside her. Bo chose to ignore the merging of their emotions and said, "I love Lauren, she knows that, but is that enough for her? That's the question."

Cicely slid her green gaze towards Bo and then edge away again surveying their surroundings. "You, unaligned succubus, never choose the easy path, it's no different with your heart."

Bo exhaled a frustrated breath and contemplated the situation. She wasn't usually introspective. She was more comfortable taking action, but with Lauren everything was always different. Mindful of that Bo said, "It's not really up to me. Lauren broke up with me. She didn't want to fight for our love." She sounded somber and distressed.

" _Again."_ Tamsin reminded Bo. _"Broke up with you, again."_

Bo ignored Tamsin and cast a sideways look at Cicely on her left.

"The love you share rarely comes around and never goes away. Give her time, she will see. To love selflessly is to truly and deeply love."

"Well, I don't want to get back together just because she's carrying my child. I want her to want to be with me not feel obligated to get back together." Cynically, Bo wondered if Lauren would always be seeking an excuse to end their relationship. Of course, their love was hard but to Bo it was worth it, but Lauren's feelings were a different manner completely. She didn't doubt Lauren's love, what she found herself doubting was Lauren's willingness to fight for it, to embrace it despite the difficulty, the hardship. To Bo a minute, a year, fifty years with Lauren was better than nothing at all.

" _Is anyone else laughing that the necromancer is giving love advice? Because I am."_ Tamsin laughed at her statement, and she was surprised when Bo repeated her words. They really were merging.

Cicely halted her steps and narrowed her eyes at Tamsin/Bo. "Love and death are not opposing forces. To embrace one is to embrace the other."

" _Yeah well, you sound like a talking fortune cookie."_ Tamsin said, and Bo repeated.

Cicely laughed and smiled at Tamsin. "You're funny. I like you." She said in a charmed tone, and began walking again.

Dyson listened and mentally growled. "How much longer?" He asked, cutting into the conversation, abruptly.

"Soon." Cicely reassured him and smiled. She danced her eyes back and forth between Tamsin/Bo and Dyson. She could feel the unhappy vibe going on, and said, "I'm sensing a lot of romantic complications in this group."

Dyson, Bo, and Tamsin all uneasily laughed at the same time.

"You have no idea," Dyson answered pushing past her and walking ahead of the group.

XXXXX

Lauren had been nodding off when a small pain in her pelvis brought her back to wakefulness. It wasn't overly painful, but it certainly got her attention. Seconds later, the muscles in her abdomen and back tightened, and she pinched her eyes closed, taking quick, harsh breaths.

Clutching her stomach, Lauren sat up and waited, counting the seconds. Then she felt the same muscles seizing and pain, only slightly more intense than before. She clenched her jaw and waited. Several seconds past and her body relaxed again.

After a long pause, she swayed a little to get some force going then eased off the edge of the bed onto her feet. She paced the length of the room, mentally counting the seconds again.

A pain made its way through her abdomen again, causing a small cry to escape her lips. She squeezed her eyes closed and breathed slowly, to ride it out.

Once the pain passed, Lauren entered Kenzi's room and sat down her bag by the door. "Kenzi," She whispered into the dark room.

Kenzi sprang up from under the blankets. In a sleep gruff voice, she asked, "What's wrong?" Her eyes danced around the room while her mind woke up.

"I'm in labor, we need to go to the hospital," Lauren said, calm and matter-of-factly.

For a long moment, Kenzi remained unmoving. Then she blanched. "What?" She rushed off the bed and stared at Lauren. "It's too early. You're only…" She paused, gazed at the ceiling, doing the math. "I don't know how far along you are, but it's too early!" She gestured her hands together. "Just squeeze your legs together, keep her in there."

Lauren's face twisted into a grimace. "Babies come early all the time; sometimes nature has its own plans. Everything will be fine. But we need to go."

Kenzi flipped on the light, her hands shaking. "That baby isn't supposed to come yet! She's too premature." She said, panic rising in her voice.

"Tell her that." A clutching pain gripped Lauren, and she bowed slightly, breathing through the pain.

"Surprise, surprise, Bo's baby does things on her own terms." Kenzi squatted down and pointed a finger at Lauren's belly. "Can't you even follow the rules on when to be born?" She paused and peered up at Lauren with a poorly concealed distressed expression. "She can't come yet. Bo's not here. She's going to miss it."

"I know. Let's go." Lauren said with an exhausted sigh.

Kenzi pulled on her boots. "Shit. Am I going to have to deliver this baby in the car?"

Lauren stroked her belly with both hands. "No. Based on my contractions we have some time, but we should go now." As soon as the words left Lauren's mouth she braced herself on the doorframe and doubled over as warm liquid gushed between her legs.

Kenzi's eyes widened, and she stared at Lauren with her mouth open. She darted her eyes up and down Lauren, whose pants, shoes and the carpet she stood on were all soaked. "Why are you so calm? Just once I'd like to see you freak out a little." Kenzi yelled out, panicking.

Lauren sucked in a deep breath when the tight grip on her stomach eased. "Babies are born every day. There's nothing to freak out about."

"Everyday magical chi babies are born? I don't think so, Lauren." Kenzi's body tightened with nerves, her mind wandering in a hundred directions.

Lauren looked down at herself, her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily. "Kenzi, please, it's just a baby."

Kenzi put her hand on the door while she met Lauren's gaze pointedly. "Tell me, everything's okay, Lauren. The baby's going to be fine, right?"

Lauren squeezed her shoulder, reassuringly. "It's a little early, yes. But the baby's strong and healthy. I believe everything will be fine, not as a mother but as a doctor."

"Maybe you should change first," Kenzi said over her shoulder to Lauren as they walked from the bedroom. "You have baby goo on your clothes." She bent down and snatched Lauren's bag off the floor before closing the door behind them.

XXXX

Cicely sat on the ground and prepared her supplies for the ritual. "As I understand it, you confined your soul to the underworld to separate yourself from the Pyrippus?"

Bo nodded and frowned down at Cicely. "After I defeated my father, the only way I could rid the world of the Pyrippus was to go the underworld."

Cicely rose to her feet and dusted off her pants. "That power may still be locked inside your body," She said, as she took Bo's hand and laced a black string around her wrist.

Bo stared straight into Cicely's eyes, her own full of confusion. "I thought by going to the underworld it was destroyed."

"I'm no expert in this. I just thought I would warn you that it's a possibility." Cicely clarified and took the limp hand on Bo's body and tied a string around it.

Bo quickly glanced at Dyson and shrugged. "I guess I'll take that chance."

" _How about this scenario?"_ Tamsin cut in. _"You get back into your body, and the Pyrippus awakens and we all die."_

"Maybe it's still bound to my soul," Bo answered Tamsin. "I did group suck those shaman and those Fae that attacked us."

" _So there are three of us in here? Damn it. You better take it with you when you go. Take all your creepy powers with you."_ Tamsin shot back.

Doubt crept into Bo's mind, sending the edges of her thoughts in a million directions. She cast them away, not letting her fear distract her and not wanting to lose her concentration on the ritual. "Let's get this over with," She said to Cicely.

Bo waited for Cicely to finish her preparation and stared into the distance behind her, where the darkness swallowed the trees and nothing but night remained. She had nothing to fear. It would work; she would get her body back. The Pyrippus was gone, even if it wasn't, this time she would learn to control it for good.

"Ready?" Cicely asked the group. When they nodded, she bent down filling a black basin with water from the river.

Bo rolled Tamsin's eyes closed, and she exhaled her breath, emptying her mind. Her hands came up and clasped them together with her body's hands. Cicely tied them together while she started the incantation.

Bo surrendered to the ritual, the world blackened. Everything shifted. The air felt thick, heavy, and strange.

Her eyes popped open, and she gasped for air, she felt like she was drowning…

XXXXX

At the Marquise Medical Clinic, Vex and Mark waited outside the delivery room as security. They had come along with Lauren and Kenzi for extra protection.

In the delivery room, Kenzi was by Lauren's side in scrubs. She glanced down at herself. "I think I pull off this look." She turned to Lauren. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. "Do you need more pillows or…"

"No," Lauren assured her, trying to maintain control of her body and steady her breathing. "It's just…I wish Bo were here."

Kenzi sighed and glanced at her phone. "I tried to call them…I thought we could face time or something, but…"

 _Elsewhere, pain filled Tamsin's body, it crowded her lungs, burned her chest. Everything felt different. The air tasted metallic and thick and painful throbs assaulted her spine and head._

 _She glanced down at her hand, and it began to glow purple, and then blue, then purple again. Her body buzzed, and threads of energy winded around her arm and spread into Bo's arm, linking them together. Her eyes squeezed closed as the air crackled, and sparked around her._

Things moved quickly once Lauren was examined. The nurse smiled at Lauren. "Dilated to ten, we'll start pushing as soon as the doctor gets here."

"I'm going to stay up here," Kenzi said still at Lauren's side. "I don't want to catch a peek of your vajayjay."

Lauren gave her a weak smile. "I understand."

Kenzi wiped the sweat slicked strands of Lauren's hair back. "You're not going to eat the afterbirth are you? I read somewhere that mom's sometimes make smoothies with it." Her face twisted in disgust.

"I don't think I'll be doing that," Lauren answered, her voice strained, and she listened to the sounds of the baby's heartbeat echoing through the room.

The door pushed open, and a female doctor walked. She smiled at them and slipped on a pair of rubber gloves.

 _Bo could feel blackness encroaching at the edges of her mind. Adrenaline mixed with panic twisted deep inside her. There was pain, then pulsations, and then numbness._

 _Suddenly, she was ripped from Tamsin's body. She found herself in a grim featureless realm, devoid of color, sound, or anything. She took a moment to wonder if this was a transitional space before reuniting with her body. Like she was in limbo just waiting._

 _All she could do was wait and hope that it worked. She saw a brief flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye before it disappeared quickly. She didn't have time to investigate as she swayed and felt like she was floating in the air._

Between the beeps of the machines, and her breathing, Lauren tried to focus on the words floating from the doctor and nurses around her.

"Breathe normally and only push while we count." The doctor instructed.

"This is it!" Kenzi said and squeezed Lauren's shoulder before Lauren grabbed the backs of her legs. "Our baby's coming."

Lauren shot her a look, and Kenzi shrugged. "You know what I mean."

Lauren sucked in a deep breath and then started pushing as hard as she could. Stopped, caught her breath and did it again as the doctor counted to ten.

She went through four or five more cycles before the doctor said. "She's crowning."

Lauren held her breath and gripped her hands tight into the backs of her thighs. She put everything she had left into the last push.

 _Bo's eyes popped open, and she stared into Tamsin's eyes. "Did it work?" Tamsin and Bo asked in unison, blinking rapidly at each other._

"There she is," The doctor's voice boomed through the room. She briefly lifted the tiny, bloody baby up to give Lauren a look.

The baby was silent, and didn't cry and Lauren's heart sank.

 _Bo glanced down at her own body and back up to Tamsin. "I think it did," She said, her voice a little hoarse. "I'm back," She added with a broad, sparkling smile._

The world around Lauren jolted to a stop, and she focused on nothing but the baby. She waited holding her breath and then an eternity seemed to pass before Isabeau let out her first small cry. Lauren's head fell back against the pillow from exhaustion and tears stung her eyes, her emotions spiraled out of control for a moment. Isabeau was the most beautiful thing had ever seen, and her cry was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. She released a happy sigh and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. Isabeau had finally arrived into the world.

 **XXXX**

 **AN**

 **I hope intercutting Bo getting back into her body and Lauren giving birth wasn't too confusing to read. I just liked the idea of those two events happening at the same time. Not sure if it worked.**

 **Everything from canon remains up until the final battle with Hades. But after Jack disappears Bo goes to the underworld. (but again I'm ignoring Tamsin's 5b storyline, also Evony's illness).**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	10. Chapter 10

Bo whipped the car into a parking spot. Grabbing her phone from the dashboard, she jumped out of the car. She rushed into Evony's house and hurried past everyone and headed to the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

She started into the bedroom but stopped at the threshold. Lying on one side of the bed, Lauren was sleeping with her left hand resting on Isabeau's belly. A smile curved on Bo's lips and warmth spread through her. She removed her boots and tiptoed quietly into the room.

Stooping down beside the bed, she eased forward and took her first real look at her daughter. Her heart melted slightly, tears welled in her eyes and she looked at Isabeau with absolute wonder and unconditional love. She was surprised at how tiny she was, how delicate, and fragile she looked.

She leaned in and kissed the crown of her head, lingering her lips there a long moment. With a sense of unutterable relief at finally being home and with her daughter, she pulled back and regarded the baby fondly again.

Isabeau's eyes blinked open, and she stared directly at Bo. The moment their eyes locked, Bo's heart stopped and then restarted. "I've been waiting so long to meet you," Bo whispered, her voice cracking with all the emotions spinning through her. She studied Isabeau's face and rubbed her thumb over her cheek. "I'm so happy you're here little one."

Isabeau's eyes stayed on Bo; she looked so animated, so innocent and mysterious. Bo found herself ensnared by her, completely, she was lost to her forever.

Lauren stirred, waking up, and rubbed her eyes before stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. A glance at her side and she froze finding Bo and Isabeau together.

"You're here," Lauren breathed out and blinked slowly, fighting against her fatigue, forcing herself to register Bo's presence through her hazy, half-asleep mind. Sleep had been sporadic for her over the last week since Isa's birth. Both because she was a newborn and also being a preemie meant she needed extra feedings and care.

"She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen in my entire life," Bo said to Lauren, with her gaze not leaving the baby. "Can I hold her?" She asked, her fingertips ran along the edge of Isabeau's tiny cheek.

With a jagged chuckle, Lauren moved to her side and propped her head on her hand. "She's your daughter, too. You don't have to ask me." She rubbed more sleep from her eyes and studied Bo's face. It was finally sinking into her heart and mind that Bo was there, really there.

Glancing up, Bo smiled at Lauren and turned her attention back to Isabeau. With shaky hands, she reached out to pick her up and, she said, "Hi, I'm your mommy." She kissed both her cheeks. "Sorry, I'm late."

Lauren watched them and her chest tightened at the sight of the two people she loved most in the world, meeting for the first time. It was a special moment, and she wanted to take every second of it in and remember it forever.

Bo cradled Isa's head and stared down at her, unblinking and unmoving. She wanted to etch every detail of her into her memory. "She's so tiny." Bo said without removing her eyes; Isa was the most fascinating thing Bo had ever seen, and she couldn't stop looking at her.

Lauren sat up, with a smile. "Ah, well. She arrived way ahead of schedule, but her prognosis is good as long as we get her weight up. She's been doing great really, strong and so far healthy."

"That Bo Dennis defiant, fighting spirit coming through." Bo eased her up again and pressed her lips against her forehead, taking in her scent, and softness of her skin. "Is this real, Lauren? Is she real?" She asked, taking Isabeau's delicate finger between her fingers and stroking her gently. Bo never felt anything so soft, so perfect. She studied it curiously for a moment.

Lauren beamed up at Bo at her question. "It's still kind of unbelievable but yeah she's real."

Isabeau's eyes slowly blinked closed, and she fell back into a deep sleep. "She's out," Bo whispered, kissing her soft cheek again.

Lauren watched Bo gently rock her back and forth. "You soothe her."

Bo smiled down at Lauren, but quickly her mouth and features tightened. "I'm so sorry I missed it. I feel so guilty and awful about that." She exhaled a deep breath both in frustration and regret.

Lauren straightened and frowned. "Don't. It wasn't your fault. And at least you're back now."

Bo slid her eyes back to Isabeau. "She's so fragile, so precious," She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the baby's back in tender strokes. "How are you doing?" She looked back at Lauren over her shoulder.

"Recovering nicely." Lauren said, and her mouth opened in a wide yawn, she rubbed her eyes trying to push away her growing fatigue.

Bo watched her, taking in the sight of lines on Lauren's face and dark shadows under her eyes. "I'm glad, but you look exhausted. You should go back to sleep."

"I will." Lauren leaned back against the headboard and admired the pair for a moment. "But I like watching you two together." At times, Lauren wasn't sure if she would ever get to see Bo and Isabeau, together. She couldn't stop watching them. She was afraid she would blink, and it would be nothing but a dream.

Bo gazed down at Isa, who was blowing bubbles out of her tiny pink mouth as she slept, which made Bo melt and grin. After a moment she asked, "Is she human, Lauren?"

"Human and Fae procreation usually produces a human offspring, but…"

"Her conception wasn't exactly standard so who knows?" Bo said, finishing Lauren's statement.

"More or less. I think it'll be a learning experience for all of us. Once she's stronger and bigger, I'll run some tests on her." Lauren said, her gaze shifting back and forth from the baby to Bo as she spoke.

XXXXX

After thirty minutes of watching Bo watch Isabeau, Lauren glanced down at herself, realizing it had been days since she had showered. She eased off the bed. "I'm going to take a quick bath." She said and winced, her hand going to her side, rubbing out the sudden sharp pain.

Bo looked her up and down. "Do you need help getting into the tub?" She placed Isabeau in the bassinet next to the bed.

Lauren smiled down at the floor. "I don't need help but thank you," She answered softly and quietly.

Bo walked up and stood in front of Lauren. "You're exhausted, Lauren. Let me help you. I didn't get to help with anything during the pregnancy. Let me take care of you now." She cocked her head and studied Lauren, her lovely eyes warm with affection.

Lauren swallowed hard, her stomach suddenly burned with nervousness. Bo's expression turned even more sincere, and she took Lauren's hand and guided her into the bathroom. She left the door open so they could listen for the baby.

Bo kneeled down to start the water, and with her back to Lauren she said, "I'm very well acquainted with every inch of your body. You don't have to be embarrassed. It's nothing I haven't seen before…many times." She turned back to Lauren with a knowing smirk.

Lauren's quick laugh echoed off the bathroom walls. "Well, I do look a little different now," She said, she dropped her gaze down her body.

"Still beautiful," Bo said as she checked the temperature of the water before she rose to her feet.

Lauren's eyes lingered on Bo's, a faraway look in them. Her resistance drained away, and her arms relaxed at her sides.

"I want to help you," Bo whispered and grasped the edge of Lauren's shirt. Instead of objecting, Lauren let Bo pull it over her head. Bo tossed her shirt to the side, and Lauren's hands went to the waistband of her underwear, and she slipped them down quickly.

Unable to resist, Bo glanced down Lauren's body. She still looked the same only with fuller breasts, wider hips, and a slightly swelled stomach. Bo averted her eyes and strode over to the bathtub and sat down on the edge. She extended her hand and waited for Lauren to accept it.

Without hesitation, Lauren took Bo's hand and eased into the water. Pushing down into the tub, she sighed, and her body relaxed as her skin soaked in the warm water.

Bo took the shower nozzle and brought it to Lauren's head, wetting her hair. Once it was thoroughly soaked, she squeezed the shampoo in one hand and then worked up a lather.

Lauren exhaled a deep breath as Bo's fingers massaged her scalp. "That feels magnificent." She breathed out, contently.

"I'm glad." Bo sustained a slow stroke on Lauren's head, working the soap into her hair. "It's all these little things I missed during your pregnancy that I'm sorry about," She said, in a soft whisper.

Bo's quiet words sent a quiver down Lauren's spine, making her entire body tingle. She met Bo's eyes and opened her mouth, wanting to say so many things, but quickly closed it.

Bo's eyes drifted to down Lauren's body. It slowly rose to her lips. Soft. Full. Longing for a kiss. She wanted to kiss her, taste her, comfort her. Instead, Bo started rinsing her hair.

"You know…" Bo began to say, but a small cry from Isabeau stopped her, and she glanced over her shoulder through the open door. "Guess she doesn't sleep for long." She chuckled and stood, drying off her hands and arms. "Finish up, I'll get her."

Lauren smiled, grabbing the sponge from the side of the tub. "Thanks, Bo."

Bo gave a quick nod as she headed out of the bathroom.

XXXXX

Lauren moved silently through the room over to check on Isabeau after her bath. She bent down and kissed her flushed cheeks, smelling her clean skin. She was sound asleep and snoring lightly, with her small pink mouth open, and her hands balled into fists held tight up by her head.

Pulling her eyes away from the baby, Lauren glanced at Bo, who was sleeping on her side. Lauren circled the bed and curled up at Bo's side, scooting beneath the blankets, trying not to disturb Bo. She wanted to enjoy this quiet moment a little longer. It felt so good to have Bo back, the real Bo.

Lauren sighed and looked at Bo, drinking in her face as she slept soundly. She contemplated how odd it was that a heart could feel so much joy and pain at the same time. She had clung to the slim thread of hope that when Bo returned, she would have the heart to forgive her for breaking her heart again. And she would take the chance and give them another try, but in truth she didn't think she had the right to ask for another chance.

"Bo," She whispered, sitting up next to her and rubbing her fingers gently down Bo's arm to wake her.

Immediately, Bo's eyes popped open, locking onto Lauren, she sat up and the blankets fell away. She had looked relaxed while she slept, but now she stared at Lauren with wide, startled eyes. "I guess I fell asleep," She stated drowsily, with a quick glance at the sleeping baby. "Sorry about that."

Lauren drifted her eyes to her lap. "I'm so sorry about everything." She had intended to save this conversation for later, but it seemed she couldn't stop herself. "Bo…I…the reasons for our breakup…it's…well…" She held in her breath, the seconds ticked by, and she could feel the tension grow in the air. "I love you. But it doesn't change what I did, though, does it?" She asked the words came out slow and careful.

Lauren lifted eyes to watch Bo, and Bo's eyes sharpened and a troubled expression flashed across her face. Lauren's heart wrenched at the thought that she had ruined any chance of being with Bo. That she wouldn't or couldn't forgive her.

"Lauren," Bo interjected before Lauren could go any further. "Together or not we'll always be in danger. That's our lives, the world we live in. You want to spare me pain in the future by hurting me now. Well, I don't understand that, because I won't stop loving you just because we're broken up."

Lauren swallowed the hard lump in her throat. "Bo…" Lauren started weakly. She didn't have the right to ask for another chance, but she was still going to try. She had to attempt to fix her mistake.

Bo frowned, her expression hardened in an instant, and Lauren's shoulders slumped. "No one has a guaranteed amount of time on this earth. No Fae, no human. Not even me." Bo said at last; she sounded simultaneously cross and gentle. "No couple can know what they'll face together in the future."

"I know." Lauren reached out, and her thumb feathered along the edge of Bo's fingers.

Bo looked down at their hands and took a deep breath. "And things won't get easier for us, only harder, more complicated, more uncertain."

Aware of all of her own mistakes and regrets, Lauren sighed. "I love you, Bo. You, your heart, your kindness, your everything. I love who I am when I'm with you." She managed a smile but it fell quickly, and she averted her eyes away. "I made a mistake, and I'm sorry."

"I will be there for you, Lauren, no matter what happens. We will always have each other."

Lauren's heart stopped. And for a long moment, she was caught there in complete silence while she considered Bo's words. "You've been through so much, and you deserve happiness, Bo, true happiness," Lauren said, the words broken apart with tears. She knew her fears were coming true; Bo wasn't going to forgive her. It was too late, too many mistakes, too much hurt.

"We've both been through a lot. We both deserve to be happy." Bo corrected, taking Lauren's hand.

"I wanted so badly," Lauren whispered, her voice thick with tears. "To find a way to be with you forever. To be able to promise you a forever life." She stared at Bo, her forehead wrinkled in unease. "But if I can't be with you forever, I can promise to love you for the rest of my life. To love you with everything in me."

Bo didn't say anything, and Lauren's throat burned as tears streamed her face.

"The world is uncertain, even now, and sometimes we'll be thrown things that are cruel and downright nasty, but I feel safest and most secure when I'm with you. I love you, I like everything about you, you make me laugh, your mind mesmerizes me. The two of us create so much heat and passion together it's almost dangerous…"

Lauren hung her head and gave a shaky laugh, and Bo continued. "But none of that matters if you don't want to fight for us and go through all the struggles together."

Lauren pushed away the tears on her face and searched Bo's face. "That's what I want. To face it all together. I want to be with you as long as I can."

Bo met Lauren's gaze, but her expression was guarded. And, at that moment, Lauren had no idea what she was feeling or thinking.

"Did you change your mind because of the baby? I need to know." Bo asked, glancing over at Isabeau.

Lauren held herself tensely, but gentleness crept into her eyes. "No, it's not that. When you were gone, and I lost you, it made me realize that it was hard, devastating, painful, but I could survive it and find strength in our love even if we weren't physically together. I know you could do the same if you had to."

The wariness in Bo's expression vanished, and she tunneled her fingers through Lauren's hair. She hesitated briefly, and then she bent in to kiss Lauren. "I love you," She whispered against Lauren's lips. "I don't want to lose any more time together. I want you, that never changed." She eased away, so she could meet Lauren's eyes.

"And I won't let you down, again. I would never hurt you, again. I'm sorry I hurt you." Lauren said, her voice thick with emotion.

Bo pressed their lips together again, she kissed Lauren slow and sweet, and Lauren's heart slowed with every stroke of Bo's tongue.

"Are you really ready to do this?" Bo asked as her thumb brushed Lauren's cheek.

"I am." Lauren's voice was a ghost of a whisper. She nuzzled into Bo's neck and breathed Bo in, closing her eyes tight, wanting to hold on forever, basking in the sensations of her warmth.

Bo held Lauren close and played her fingers through her hair. "You can make mistakes, Lauren. I don't need you to be perfect. Heck, I'm not perfect. I love you just the way you are. I love us just the way we are."

Lauren smiled against Bo's body. "You're pretty great; you know that?"

With a chuckle, Bo went for Lauren's lips again but stopped when Isabeau let out a small cry.

"Wow, she really doesn't sleep long." Bo moved to her other side and gathered the baby up into her arms.

"She's only a week old." Lauren breathed out through an extended yawn. Her fatigue crashed back into her suddenly.

"Sleep. I'll take care of her." Bo kissed Lauren's forehead and gently rocked Isabeau back and forth.

Lauren nodded and slipped further under the blankets. "She might be hungry," She suggested as her eyes blinked closed from tiredness.

Bo handed the baby off to Lauren so she could feed her. Bo glanced lovely at Isabeau as she nursed, and then she turned serious and looked at Lauren. "I think we should take the baby away from here for a while. She's in danger."

Lauren lifted her eyes up away from the baby to meet Bo's eyes. "Okay, if you really think we should."

"I'm not taking any chances. We'll talk more about it later." Bo said, and waited for Lauren to finish before she took Isabeau again.

"Get some sleep," Bo whispered into Lauren's hair.

Lauren snuggled up close to Bo and closed her eyes listening to quiet breathing coming from both her loves. With a content sigh, she drifted off to sleep quickly.

XXXX

"You lost the body. You failed to get the baby and the Pyrippus," said Poseidon, in an absent tone of voice. He was of the ancients who were so long-lived they were forgotten from history, from the world. He had escaped the fate of the others by descending into the sea. His realm, his domain. But the prophecy of Hades' grandchild had brought him forth. Her blood was the key, and he needed to control it. Wield her power as his own.

He donned his human guise and glided with silent predatory poise along the sea with his servant by his side.

His companion shifted nervously. "It wasn't our fault. The queen is stronger than we imagined."

Poseidon glared to his side, anger roiling inside him. He wrestled it under control and chose to ignore those excuses, and instead said. "The child is here. But we need the Pyrippus and the girl. To control both is to control the future and rule the world. To reclaim our rightful place."

"When will we move in on them?"

The wind picked up, sending Poseidon's long coat swaying behind him.

"Soon."

 **XXXXX**

 **AN**

 **Much needed Bolo time here, I know it was short but there'll be more.**

 **Hint, hint: Isabeau is not human and she's not a succubus…**

 **Off topic: I'm working on a bonus chapter for Stand Together just for fun, just fluff.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	11. Chapter 11

Lauren dreamed she was chasing after a young girl toward a raging sea, her shoes sinking into the sand. Bo ran along beside her. Their eyes met, and Lauren slipped into another dream. This time Bo laid on top of her, sliding in and out of her slowly, perfectly. When Bo moved to kiss her, she woke with a start.

She rubbed her fingers down her face and yawned, trying to settle her mind after the strange dream transition. She twisted in the bed sheets, staring around the bedroom. The room was dark and quiet. The only sounds around her were the rhythmic breathing of Bo and Isabeau. She pushed onto her elbow and glanced into the bassinet. The baby was sleeping, balled up on her side, at peace, content.

She sank down and rested her head on the pillow; it smelled like equal parts Bo and Isabeau, and that made her smile. She was running on the sheer joy of having Bo and Isabeau together. She thought about how fortunate she was, at the moment, to be surrounded by such warmth and love.

She spun over to find Bo spread out her stomach, fast asleep. She studied Bo's face with a drowsy kind of elation. It had been such a long time since Lauren watched Bo sleep. She had missed this fiercely, simple, quiet, comfortable moments with Bo.

She was tempted to brush the hair off Bo's face, but resisted, she didn't want to disturb her. She looked too content, too serene.

Instead, Lauren slipped carefully out of the bed and walked into the bathroom. She pulled off her clothes, turned on the shower, and stood under the water. The hard spray tingled across her back, and she closed her eyes enjoying the hot water as it warmed up her body.

A moment later, Bo entered the bathroom. "Lauren."

Bo's voice made Lauren jump, she blinked water from her eyes and peered around the shower curtain to look at Bo. Water dropped from her wet hair, and face, and she smiled at Bo. "Good morning."

"We're making you breakfast." Bo held Isabeau cradled in her arms and lifted her up to meet Lauren's eyes.

Lauren wiped the water from her face. "You don't have to do that. I'll help."

Bo stepped close to her and gave her a quick kiss. "Everything will be taken care of, all you need to do is shower and eat."

Lauren opened her mouth to argue, but Bo pressed another kiss to her lips. "You are very sweet, thank you," Lauren said against Bo's lips.

Bo smiled, adjusted Isabeau to rest on her shoulder, and left the bathroom to get the food ready.

Rinsing her hair, Lauren finished washing herself. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a bathrobe.

She went to the closet to choose comfortable clothes for the day, a simple pair of jeans and a fitted, button-down shirt.

As she shimmied into her jeans, she saw Bo walk back into the room, carrying Isabeau in a baby harness and a small tray of food.

Bo put the tray down and gathered Isa up out of the harness. "Perfect timing," She said before putting Isa down on the bed.

Buttoning up her shirt, Lauren walked over to the bed. She peered down at the baby, her lips curved gracefully as her eyes sparkled. Isabeau slept peacefully on the bed, her tiny chest moving slowly up and down in a steady motion. Lauren brushed a finger over the fuzzy hair.

Bo watched as Lauren's face transformed while marveling the baby, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Is it weird that I just want to protect her from every bad thing that could ever happen to her?" Bo asked while making Lauren a plate from the tray of food.

"I don't think that's weird at all. Not realistic, but the impulse is understandable." Lauren answered, taking a seat as Bo placed a plate in front of her.

Lauren started to eat her breakfast, and Bo gathered up Isabeau. She stretched out on the bed and rested Isa on her chest, gently stroking her back. They sat in silence while Lauren ate and watched them. She couldn't remember a moment she enjoyed more than watching Bo with Isabeau.

XXXXX

That evening, Bo and Lauren walked into the foyer looking for Evony, she had invited them to dinner. Bo cradled Isabeau in her arms, and Lauren rested her hand on Bo's hip.

As Evony sauntered down the marble staircase, Kenzi appeared, strolling down the hallway holding a smile.

Evony ran a critical eye down Lauren's body as she strode toward them. "Can we all just agree on one thing? Lauren's naughty bits need to come with a red flashing warning." She said, and when she reached them, she bent down to look at Isabeau. "Side effects may include turning human, and spontaneous lady on lady pregnancy."

Bo frowned and moved Isabeau out of Evony's view.

Evony shot Bo a look and smirked. "Don't get pissy missy." Eyebrows raised, she pursed her lips. "Or maybe it's that Bo has magic bullet chi."

"What a disturbing visual," Kenzi said with wide eyes before she ran a finger down Isabeau's tiny cheek. "Damn, BoBo you did good and made a gorgeous baby. Well done." Kenzi slapped Bo's backside and had faces at the baby.

Lauren snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.

Kenzi turned to look at Lauren. "Fine doc, you helped a little." She kissed Isabeau's forehead. "She's just so cute, but wow she is tiny." She beamed out at Isabeau. "We have that in common at least."

"Yes, cute is what you'll be thinking about when you're chin high in dirty diapers. The smell will never come out of your hair." Evony shuttered, theatrically. "My advice is boarding school as soon as possible."

Bo rocked the baby back and forth and glared at Evony. Within the span of two minutes, Evony had already managed to get Bo irritated.

With a flicker of delight, Evony strode toward the dining room, and the others followed behind her.

In the dining room, the long gleaming mahogany table had place settings for each person, with polished silver, formal china, and white linen napkins. Evony nodded her approval to the staff and took her seat at the head of the table.

As they seated themselves, Kenzi asked. "Do they have boarding schools for preschoolers?" She immediately helped herself and poured a glass of wine.

The uniformed staff began bringing dishes of hot food from the kitchen.

"Oh, I'm sure they do," Evony said as a server began serving her from the silver platters of food.

Bo and Lauren exchanged a glance, with Bo rolling her eyes, and Lauren smiling at her.

"Children are better when they are neither seen nor heard." Evony flagged down another server and gestured to her empty glass.

Bo let out an explosive sigh and handed Isabeau to Lauren before turning to scowl at Evony. "You're the last person I would take parenting advice from, or really any advice at all."

Evony shrugged. "Suit yourself. But it's going to be hard being a sexy succubus with a screaming brat in the background." She stared hard at Bo. "And who else are going to look to as an example? Both your real parents weren't exactly shining parental examples."

Lauren shifted her body and transferred Isabeau from one shoulder to another and patted her back, in gentle circles.

A smirk flared across Evony's face. "And I cringe when I think about what kind of people could have produced this one." She tilted her head in Lauren's direction. "Face it. You two are screwed."

Hugging Isabeau, Lauren stared at Evony. "Well, she'll have plenty of love and support. Even when we make mistakes that's what will be most important."

Evony barked out an amused laugh. "Uh-huh. Yep, screwed."

Bo cleared her throat. Annoyance had taken her over, and she was ready to shift the conversation. "Anyway, thanks for everything, Evony, but we're leaving in the morning."

Kenzi paused hovering her fork in front of her mouth. "Really? Where are we going?"

Twisting to look at Kenzi, Bo said, gently. "You need to stay here with Dyson."

Kenzi sat her fork down hard. Her face went blank for a flash. Then, with a faintly angry expression, she said, "What! No way."

"Kenzi," Bo sighed quietly.

"No, I've been here with Lauren this whole time, helping her, and now you're going to leave me? Why?" At that, everyone at the table stared at Kenzi, who crossed her arms and glared at Bo.

"I need you here," Bo said, sounding apologetic. "For research."

"Agh, research?"

Bo shifted closer to Kenzi, not wanting to talk about this in front of Evony. "Can we talk later?" She asked, quietly.

"Fine," Kenzi muttered, she was ashamed of her childish behavior, but her feelings were hurt that Bo would just leave her behind after she had stepped up in Bo's absence and helped Lauren.

Evony regarded Bo with raised eyebrows as she drank her wine. "Such awkward dinner guests," She said cheerfully, delighting in the conflict. "You all certainly make a woman regret her generosity."

In another attempt to sway the conversation, Lauren said, "Well, the food is delicious."

"You may want to skip dessert. You're hanging on to some baby weight." Evony sat her glass down, poking Lauren deliberately with her eyes. "You might want to focus on tightening up those problem areas."

"You're hilarious," Lauren said, her gaze lingered on Evony's pleased expression.

Evony cocked her head at Lauren, looking puzzled. "I wasn't aware I was joking."

"Pleasant as always, Evony," Lauren said, with a slight bite in her tone.

Evony glanced over her shoulder, and signaled the server over and whispered in her ear to cancel the dessert course.

Still annoyed, Kenzi glared at Bo and pushed her food around her plate.

After that, they all fell silent as they concentrated on finishing their meals as quickly as possible.

XXXX

Tamsin sulked into the room, closed the door quietly, and gazed around the small room. The motel room wasn't so awful. In fact, it was sort of homie in a depressing kind of way. Sure, it wasn't fancy, but it had a bed and it was affordable, plus liquor in the refrigerator.

She sat on the bed and removed her shoes, listening to the sound of traffic in the background. Ever since Bo left her head, she was feeling adrift and lonely. On one hand, she had desperately wanted to be rid of Bo. On the other hand, now she was alone with only her own thoughts and no distractions.

She fell back on the bed and stared at the brown stained ceiling. Bo had quickly dumped her off at the motel to rush to be with Lauren. Of course, Lauren. Always Lauren. Well, maybe, the baby was part of it also. Bo was more than glad to hurry off and be with them and leave her alone in the miserable motel room.

She flipped to her stomach and rummaged through the paper bag by the bed and pulled out the bottle of vodka. Without a pause, she opened it and took a stiff drink. She cursed herself for not thinking about getting drunk before when Bo hijacked her mind. Shoulda, woulda, coulda, she thought bitterly.

A knock on the door caused her to bolt upright. She tensed and listened, but didn't move to answer it.

Another knock.

"Who is it?" She called out, inching closer to the door, shaken by such a rude disturbance.

"Cicely."

Tamsin froze, startled and more than a little confused. "What do you want?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"To talk." Cicely's sweet, soft voice came through the door.

"About what?"

"Can I come in?"

Tamsin rubbed the back of her neck. She almost ignored her, but she finally relented and opened the door. She took in Cicely's appearance. She had height, beauty, and poise that contrasted her work as a necromancer. She looked more like a supermodel than someone who could communicate with the dead bodies.

Cicely stood outside, her beautiful face covered with a warm smile, but Tamsin refused to smile back. "What do you want? I'm busy." Tamsin snapped, annoyed by her uninvited guest.

Cicely stepped across the threshold and glanced at the vodka bottle in Tamsin's hand. "I see that."

"I don't need you judging me." Tamsin gulped down another drink from the bottle.

Cicely held Tamsin's gaze and looked concerned. "Tell me what's wrong. No need to hold back with me."

Tamsin blew out a breath and struggled internally. "I was just wondering how she could go back to the woman who seems hell-bent on breaking her heart, over and over again. I just can't figure them out. They're so mismatched."

Cicely nodded, and for a moment an amused smile hovered on her mouth. "May I be frank?"

"Hell, if I care," Tamsin muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Cicely took a seat, crossed her long exposed legs and rested her elbows on the arm of the chair. "Maybe it's not for you to understand. Love is personal, private, and unique for every couple. And often easily judged by those on the outside looking in."

Tamsin snorted, but her admittedly fragile conscience tugged her at those words. She knew she had no right to judge Bo and Lauren's relationship. "I question why you care about any of this. What's your motive?" She asked, before taking a swig from the bottle.

Cicely leaned back, her dress rode up slightly, exposing more of her thigh. "I sense you're lonely. Those of us that deal with death need to stick together. It's easy to fall into despair when death surrounds you."

"We're not the same." Tamsin snapped annoyance churning within her. She didn't need an outsider giving her advice about anything.

Cicely stared at Tamsin. She looked utterly relaxed and confident, and her poise made Tamsin uncomfortable. She seemed to be reading Tamsin as easily as she might read a book.

"Perhaps not. But don't let your heart become bitter over one bad situation. Learn to open yourself up then maybe love will find you. Love is surprising and can strike even the most cynical heart without warning." Cicely said, smoothly, and assuredly.

Tamsin laughed. Despite her pushy advice, she liked Cicely. "I saw that episode of Oprah too."

Cicely lifted her sleek eyebrows. "You deflect your feelings with harsh words and cutting remarks but I can see there's a softness about you. Remember one thing, love is as vital as death, but often just as confusing and unexpected."

Tamsin heaved a sigh and swallowed her pride. "I don't know what my purpose is, now. Where should I go, what should I do? Bo's back; my…family doesn't need me anymore. And Bo made it pretty clear she didn't need my help when she ran off to take another ride on rollercoaster Lauren."

"I imagine you can do whatever you want now. But don't assume those you care about don't need you. I don't think that's true." Cicely paused when her phone buzzed. She read the message and smiled at Tamsin. "I'm afraid I have an appointment." She uncrossed her legs and rose to her feet, in one graceful movement.

"Another lost soul to shower your wisdom upon?" Tamsin asked, slightly disappointed about her leaving; it was nice having someone to talk things through with, even if she was aggravatingly nosey at times.

Cicely laughed as she stepped to the door. "No, I have a date with Dyson, actually."

Tamsin choked on her drink. For some reason, that information soured Tamsin's mood even more. "Dyson? Good luck with that." Inwardly, Tamsin grimaced, that sounded crueler than she had meant for it to sound.

Cicely tilted her head and gave Tamsin a questioning look.

Shifting her weight, Tamsin fumbled for something to say. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. Have a great time." She said, taking a deep breath and turning her attention back to the vodka bottle.

"Call me if you ever need someone to talk to," Cicely said, now standing at the open door.

"Will do," Tamsin answered shortly, plopping on her stomach on the bed.

XXXXX

Isabeau was sleeping, and Bo stretched out on her back beside Lauren on top of the covers. Her arm draped over her eyes while she held Lauren's hand with the other.

"You know, I feel so happy right now," Bo said, her quiet voice stroked the silence in the room. "But I feel like our happiness is cursed. Something always happens. Like we're lightning rods for trouble."

Lauren squeezed Bo's hand and caught a glimpse of Bo's face. "We'll take on whatever happens next." A pang of guilt hit Lauren. She worried that a part of Bo doubted her commitment to their relationships. She wanted more than anything to prove she wasn't going anywhere, not this time.

Bo put her mouth on Lauren's inner waist, rested her lips on her skin a moment and kissed her. "I'm still in shock that we…you got pregnant, and I'm just so relieved that you and Isabeau are healthy. Even coming early Isa seems strong and active."

Lauren met Bo's gaze. "As long as we're together, okay, everything is okay even when it's not."

Bo pressed her mouth to Lauren's forehead, and they rested like that for several seconds. "Absolutely."

Lauren burrowed back into the pillows, and Bo bent over her. "I missed you, so much." She threaded her fingers through Bo's hair. Her gaze gleamed with an array of emotions, love and desire foremost among them.

Bo rolled to her feet and strode over to a small cart and poured herself a glass of water.

Lauren tracked Bo's movements across the room, her heart thudded. Warmth spilled down her body, settling in her stomach. Part of it was simply the way her body always reacted to Bo, but also it had been awhile, months since she'd had sex.

Bo felt Lauren's gaze on her, heating her to her core. She traveled her eyes up and down Lauren's body. "So," She tilted her head and watched Lauren for a moment. "I think we should pack tonight so we can leave as soon as possible."

Lauren propped herself up on her elbows, her expression serious. "I'm a little worried about Isabeau traveling. She's not even two weeks old."

"We don't have a choice."

"Well, maybe it's our opportunity to be proactive instead of reactive. Face it head on and not wait for the threat to come to us."

Bo stepped back and folded her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture. She was caught off guard that Lauren would be against them leaving. "I'm not putting Isa at risk, ever."

"You know as well as I do that no matter what they always find a way to get to us."

Bo's face and body tightened, her jaw angled out slightly, but she refrained from saying anything as she studied Lauren's face.

"As far as I'm concerned we have two choices, run and wait for them to find us, or take the fight to them."

"There's no way I would possibly put Isabeau in danger. I need your support with this." Bo stood facing Lauren with her feet planted firm. She looked determined and ready to battle her point.

Bo was getting upset, Lauren thought. She let that observation sit in the corners of her mind, and resignedly, Lauren's face turned heartfelt and said. "Okay. We'll go."

Bo smiled and climbed back into the bed, spooning Lauren from behind. "Thank you," She said soothingly, with her head rested on Lauren's shoulder. She cradled Lauren closer, savoring the feel of Lauren in her arms. Their bodies fit together so well it was as if they were made for each other.

"I just want to protect Isabeau," Bo said, kissing the nape of Lauren's neck. "We've all been a bit too careless in the past. I think we need to be cautious with our daughter."

Lauren whipped around and covered Bo's lips, wrapping her hands around her neck. Bo's lips were warm and soft under Lauren's. She followed the edge of Bo's neck as she gently caressed her tongue along with Bo's.

Lauren drew back and put a hand against Bo's cheek, stroking her with her thumb. Her gaze dropped to the sensual curve of Bo's lips.

Bo ran her finger across Lauren's moistened lips, sliding it back and forth. "I liked kissing you. You know, we haven't had our make up sex yet."

"Oh, I know," Lauren said, with a playful grin.

Bo bent and angled her head to press a long, lingering kiss against Lauren's throat. While Lauren stroked her hair, her eyes closed, her breathing coming in quicker. Bo drew her lips from her neck to the smooth angle of her shoulder.

Every nerve ending was alive, burning, and Bo was desperate for Lauren. She pressed her nose against Lauren's neck. "I missed how good you feel," Bo said, her words muffled against Lauren's skin.

Lauren's skin turned sensitive all over, carving Bo's touch. "I missed you," Lauren replied, snaking her hand up Bo's shirt to cup Bo's breast as she captured Bo's mouth again. She palmed her breast, keeping her hand and mouth gentle.

As Bo's nipple hardened under Lauren's touch, Bo exhaled a breath. "Oh, hello there."

Lauren slid down Bo's body. Running her open, wet mouth along the length of Bo's breast, she sucked and nipped at the tender flesh, flicking her nipple with her tongue.

Bo arched and sighed out, incoherent with the intense rush of pleasure. And Lauren glided back up her body and kissed her again.

A hard knock came at the door. Bo growled into Lauren's mouth, trying to ignore it, and intensified the kiss.

Another knock.

"I'm coming in, whether you're doing the naked lady tango or not," Kenzi warned through the door, knocking again, rapidly.

Bo sighed and fell back against the pillow, her arms stretched limply over her head.

"Come in," Lauren called out, straightening her hair and sitting up.

Quickly, Kenzi entered the room with her eyes covered with her hand. "Are your unmentionables covered?"

"Yes," Bo responded, with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Kenzi dropped her hand and glared at them. "You're not leaving me behind." She declared, promptly. "I'm coming with you."

"Kenzi, I need you here," Bo said, scrubbing her face with her hands trying to wash away her frustration.

"No, you need my help with little Isabeau."

Lauren studied Kenzi's face and then glanced back to Bo. "Let her come with us."

Bo bounced her eyes back and forth between Lauren and Kenzi's determined expressions. "We leave tomorrow."

Kenzi frowned, momentarily confused. "That was surprisingly easy. I had a whole speech about…"

Kenzi stopped when Isabeau let out a small cry from her bassinet, and Lauren and Bo turned their attention to the baby.

"See you in the morning," Kenzi said, before quickly leaving the room.

Lauren picked Isabeau up and rocked her gently. "She's probably hungry."

Bo kissed Isabeau's cheek, and then Lauren's cheek. "Ok, I'm going to talk to Kenzi."

Lauren nodded and said, "I love you."

Bo rolled out of the bed. "Oh, I love you both so much." She beamed at Lauren and Isabeau before turning on her heel and exiting the room to find Kenzi.

Bo was gone longer than expected and Lauren fell into a deep sleep after feeding the baby.

Inside her dream, Lauren was back in the Light Fae compound in the Ash's office. Behind the desk sat a young girl with a man dressed in black behind her with his hand on her shoulder.

Lauren took cautious steps forward and saw a book laid out in front of the girl. "Do it." The man commanded, and the girl took a knife and cut along her palm dropping blood onto the book. Lauren tried to call out to stop the girl but jolted awake instead.

Breathing heavy, she glanced to her side, finding Bo and Isabeau sleeping next to her. She reached out and took Isa's hand, running her finger along her smooth, soft palm.

In her tired mind, only one thought ran through her mind, was it possible that Isabeau was a blood sage like her great-grandfather, Trick?

A fear slowly, and steadily filled her mind, but swiftly it all cleared away, and the fear abated enough so that she could come to a realization. Bo was right they needed to leave and soon.

 **XXXX**

 **AN**

 **Hint, hint: Cicely may or may not have a connection to Hades and Bo.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **I changed this story to mature for a future chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

Bo slowed the car on a paved road, toward the inn tucked discreetly off the main road. She drove carefully along the drive onto a small lot into a parking spot. In the back, Isabeau had fallen asleep, and Lauren unbuckled the straps on her car seat and gathered her up in her arms.

Bo and Kenzi climbed out of the cool air, in the car, into the warmth of the day. Kenzi swept the scene with her gaze while Bo pulled their luggage out of the trunk.

"At least we're staying somewhere nice," Kenzi said, watching Bo heave out the remaining bags.

"It's secluded enough. It should work for now," Bo answered, slinging two bags over her shoulder and handing Kenzi the last two.

Lauren stood beside them and smiled at Isabeau as tiny wisps of the baby's hair fluttered in the light breeze. She pressed a hand to Isabeau's back, supporting her position on her shoulder, and followed behind Bo and Kenzi.

As they started up the steps, which led to the main entrance, a petite human woman opened the front door to greet them. "Welcome Veronica Van Buren and guests," She said with a crisp tone looking directly at Kenzi.

Bo angled her head to look at Kenzi, giving her a questioning look.

"Just go with it," Kenzi whispered into Bo's shoulder.

"I'm Mrs. Steel, the owner of this establishment. We're so happy you've come to stay." She smiled at them and placed her hands on her hips, waiting as they finished climbing the remaining steps.

At the top, Lauren returned her smile, adjusting Isabeau in her arms. "It's a very lovely bed and breakfast you have here."

Mrs. Steel eyed Isabeau for a moment. "Yes, much more homelike than a standard hotel." She held the door open for them. "If you like, I can show you to your room, so you can put the little one down."

"Thank you," Lauren said, and Isabeau snored lightly on her shoulder.

Mrs. Steel took them on a small tour of the inn, walking with a purposeful stride, engaging them in small talk along the way. They kept their answers intentionally vague, not wanting to give too much information about themselves.

Bo walked behind Lauren and put her hand on Lauren's free shoulder, squeezing gently. Lauren glanced at her over her shoulder with an inward smile.

Mrs. Steel rested her gaze on them. "So, are you all sisters," She asked, after showing them the kitchen.

"That would be a horrifying plot twist," Kenzi answered smirking at Bo.

Mrs. Steel arched her overly plucked eyebrow at Kenzi; her expression flared with interest.

Kenzi's face was full of stifled laughter. "We're documentary filmmakers. We're hunting big foot. Have you seen him, maybe going through your trash or peeking in your windows?"

Bo wrapped her arm around Kenzi and smiled at Mrs. Steel. "What a sense of humor you have, Ms. Van Buren."

Mrs. Steel gaped at them, in confusion and silence.

"Actually, I'm an actress, and these are my assistants, Kitty," Kenzi gestured to Bo, "And Joan." She tilted her head at Lauren.

"Right," Mrs. Steel answered with a suspicious glance at the group. "Very good." She spun around quickly, "This way to your rooms." She called out with her back to the group.

Eventually, Mrs. Steel paused at the doorway of Bo and Lauren's room. "The staff has already set up the crib, beside the bed, in this room." She handed Lauren the key.

The room was located at the back of the inn. The window was open with an armchair beside it, and the queen-sized bed was in the middle of the space. The dimensions were small, but it looked attractive and comfortable enough for their short stay.

Bo thanked her, and they continued to Kenzi's room while Lauren stayed behind to put the baby down.

XXXX

Back in the room, Lauren sat on the bed, next to the crib, and bent her head as she watched Isabeau sleep. Her mind wandered back to her dream, and she brushed Isa's cheek. An unsettling feeling developed in her stomach as she continued to gaze at her daughter. Even though, they were away from home she wondered if there were anywhere they could go to escape the danger ahead. Closing her eyes, she breathed slowly against the memories of her dreams.

A few minutes later, Bo and Kenzi found Lauren reading and sitting beside the crib. She looked up as they both entered the room.

Glancing quickly around the room, Bo walked to the crib and leaned down over Isabeau and contemplated the peaceful sleeping baby. "I still don't understand, a blood sage, Lauren? How is that possible?" She asked, gently rubbing Isa's back, her touch was slow and soothing.

Kenzi laughed and cut in. "She's a miracle chi baby, mama bear. The world as we know it no longer makes sense."

Bo lifted her gaze from Isabeau to Kenzi and produced a vaguely annoyed expression. "Can we not refer to my child as a chi baby?"

Kenzi gave her a teasing smile. "It's cute."

Lauren looked back and forth between them. She thought of her dreams again and said. "I don't have any answers, right now, about the how, but I'm certain that her future abilities are why she's in danger. Imagine the possibilities of controlling a blood sage's powers."

"Correct," Hermes announced, ambling nonchalant from the bathroom, wiping his hands on a towel.

All three snapped their heads in his direction, and he threw the towel on the floor, holding a sly smile.

Bo sprang forward, as she switched to her protective mode. Her expression was hard. "How the hell did you get in here?" She demanded, harshly.

Kenzi and Lauren exchanged confused glances before turning their attention back on Bo and Hermes. Lauren took careful note of Hermes' body language and expressions.

"I go where I please. Always have, always will." Hermes gestured to the open window. "You might want to close your windows."

Bo glared at him as she slammed the window closed. "You owe me answers," She said, as positioned herself between him and Isabeau.

Blowing out a breath, he sat down, in the armchair by the window, and crossed his legs. "I owe you? Oh gods, the delusion."

Fuming, Bo narrowed her eyes at him. "You really don't want to taunt me, right now."

Hermes feigned a yawn and casually looked at Bo. "Save your energy, your threats are pointless."

"What are you doing here?" Bo asked, sweeping her gaze over to the sleeping baby, and then back at him.

"To help." He lazily drummed his fingers on his legs and assessed Bo firmly.

After blinking pause, Bo's nostrils flared, and she took steps toward him. "I don't believe you."

Hermes ignored that and said. "You escaped your vessel. I'm impressed. A lesser being might have been trapped forever."

Bo scoffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah, and you just disappeared."

"And yet, here you are, back with your family and in the correct body. All on your own." His expression was a closed book, and the smile he gave her was stiff.

They stared each other down, for a long, tense moment, before Bo clamped her arms tighter around herself. "He wants to use my daughter's powers, to change something, to get something," She said, not as a question but a statement.

Bo thought he might deny it, but he didn't. He stared at her and scratched his chin, and said. "Finally, it takes you hero types so long to figure anything out. The waiting was killing me."

Bo took a quick breath and rubbed her face as she thought. "What's his plan? What exactly is his end game?" She asked shortly.

Hermes pulled a piece of gum from his jacket pocket and chewed it deliberately slow while his eyes bore down on Bo. "You want all the information, but you don't wish to do any of the work, typical."

Lauren watched the conversation unfold, and a thought occurred to her as she started making connections between her dreams. Finally, she spoke up. "He wants to rewrite the world, so the Ancients are in control." She hesitated and glanced at Bo. "To shift the balance of power to him."

Hermes' eyes lit up, and he pivoted his gaze to Lauren. "Bing, bing, bing. You should talk more. You're smart." He said, shifting his eyes back to Bo and shaking his head.

Lauren frowned, troubled by the realization that her theory was correct. "He wouldn't have been able to control someone like Trick. But a child, that's someone he could manipulate into doing whatever he wanted, especially if he raised her." She said, memories of Isabeau being taken came to her mind.

Hermes nodded along, purposely.

Kenzi spoke for the first time and turned to Lauren. "That's what your dreams are telling you? It's a warning?"

Bo glanced at Lauren, and then Kenzi. "But in my dreams she's always older when she's taken. Not an infant."

Lauren shifted her eyes from Hermes to Bo. "I imagine these types of dreams are more figurative than straightforward. Whatever we're seeing is probably a representation of the events, not necessarily what will actually occur. If it is indeed a warning."

Bo met Lauren's eyes, her expression turned quizzical, searching, as she mulled over the situation and remembered the details of her own dreams.

"Like when you dream about your teeth falling out, really your mind's just worried about getting older, or forgetting your laundry," Kenzi remarked.

Lauren smiled at her. "Kind of like that, I guess."

Bo's expression darkened, and she glared at Hermes. "You're playing both sides. I know it," She said without preamble.

"Oh darling, you are correct. Of course, I'm working both sides." His eyes gleamed with triumph when Bo's jaw dropped at his declaration.

Moments ticked by as they stared at him in shocked silence and Bo fought against her temptation to grab him by the neck and throw him out of the window.

Staring directly at Bo, he waited to let his statement sink in before adding, "Truthfully, this world domination thing isn't really my deal. The ancients are egotistical bores. With them in charge, the world would be less fun. Freewill is what makes the world exciting and interesting. But sooner or later, one side will prevail, and I plan on being in good with both sides. Just in case."

"What if I just kill you?" Bo said, giving him a venomous look.

He smiled and shrugged, "Many have tried, and all have failed."

Bo leaned down into his face, in a threatening gesture. "Not me," She snapped with scorn.

"My apologies if I've upset you, Queen. But remember, I got you out. Here you are." He said, his voice brisk, dismissive.

After a second of staring at him, Bo said between her teeth. "For your master."

He gave her a cold, narrow smile, for the first time, Bo got a real reaction from him. "No one's my master. I do what I want."

Bo stalked away from him, in exasperation. "Prove you want to help. Tell us how to get rid of Poseidon." No matter how much Hermes acted like he wanted to help them, she didn't trust him, but she was hoping to get a little information.

"There is a way to summon and banish him. But you'll need his blood." He sounded almost bored as he spoke.

Kenzi grumbled and rolled her eyes. "Why is it always blood? Or other body liquids?"

Bo's eyes closed in a leisurely blink as she tried to process everything. "How do you expect us to get his blood?"

"Perhaps, he has a daughter. A niece of Hades."

"Perhaps?" Bo shot back, still suspicious of everything he was saying, her impatience on the brink of exploding.

He chortled under his breath. "Why should I give you all the answers? That's no fun."

Moving quickly, Bo took hold of his shirt collar, lifting him off the chair. "Get out." She barked in his face. "I can look after my family," She pushed him forward. "I don't need you."

He slapped her hand away. "You're welcome, by the way." He hissed, as he smoothed out his shirt.

Bo scoffed and pointed a finger in his face. "I would have found a way out of the underworld; I'm not thanking you. I don't thank those that use and manipulate me."

Hermes made a disgusted sound and tilted his head. "Yes, I'm sure you would have."

Bo stormed away from him and pinched the bridge of her nose to combat her growing rage. "Leave now," She ordered, sharply.

"You are dancing on my last nerve, succubus," He growled before his expression cleared and he bowed to her. "Start with the daughter, get the blood and go from there." He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a gust of smoke.

XXXX

None of them said a word, for a long time, after Hermes left.

Unable to stand still, Bo paced around the room and tried to shake off the tension that had knotted her body. The thought of Hermes coming and going, at will, made her feel physically ill.

When Isabeau woke up, Lauren scooped her up and cradled her as she followed Bo's movements with her eyes.

Kenzi stretched out next to Lauren and Isa, crossed one leg over the other, and glanced at Bo. "How are we ever going to find out who this daughter is?"

They all contemplated that for a few moments. "Could be anyone," Lauren said, at last, wrapping Isabeau snuggly in a baby blanket.

Kenzi picked up the breast pump that was lying by Lauren and wrinkled her nose at it, before tossing it to the side. "Well, it's not any of us, so that narrows it down by three."

Lauren shook her head at Kenzi and put the pump into her bag with her free hand, and said. "My question is does she even know who she is?"

"BoBo 2.0, oh goody." Kenzi yawned and rubbed her tired eyes. After a long day of traveling and Hermes unexpected visit, she was exhausted.

Lauren shrugged, and cupped Isabeau's head. "It's a possibility."

"In the meantime, let's work on figuring out how to banish him." Bo said, but inwardly she questioned how much of what Hermes had told them was the truth.

Kenzi sighed and played with Isabeau's soft hair. "My guess is magical object…blah…blah…blood ritual…something, something, something, and then we all eat pizza."

Through her frustration and tension, Bo laughed at that. "Sounds about right."

Kenzi smiled, thoughtfully at Bo. "Aw, I missed this, us scrambling to take down a big baddie, working together for the greater good." She thumbed her phone in her pocket. "Maybe we should ask Tamsin to help figure out who the daughter is," She suggested.

"I think she's upset with me," Bo said, pressing her fingers into her temples, on top of everything else she didn't really want to deal with Tamsin at that moment.

"Shocker," Kenzi said, opening her mouth wide when another yawn hit her. "I'll talk to her." She murmured through her yawn.

Bo nodded and observed Kenzi's tired expression. "Okay, thanks. But let's get some sleep, now."

Taking the hint, Kenzi looked back and forth between Lauren and Bo. "Right, sleep." She winked and climbed off the bed.

After Kenzi left, Lauren gently transferred Isabeau over to Bo and eased off the bed to stretched out. She started unpacking the baby's clothes and supplies, placing them in neat stacks on the dresser.

"Well, you were right. They always find us." Bo said quietly, gently rocking Isabeau.

Lauren slowly folded Isabeau's onesie and regarded Bo for a heartbeat. "At least we can take steps now to do something," She said, aware of the extraordinary situation they had found themselves in, and that there were no easy answers.

"I don't trust that little shit, Hermes," Bo said, knowing there had to be a catch with Hermes giving them information. There was always a catch.

"I agree, precaution is necessary, but he did get you home," Lauren said, trying to ease some of the rippling emotions she saw pouring over Bo.

"For his own purposes." Bo sighed, and her expression softened as she met Isabeau's bright, alert gaze.

Lauren opened her mouth to reassure Bo but closed it. She didn't know what to say, so she busied herself with putting the clothes away and said nothing.

"I don't know what I would do if something happened to her." Bo started and slowly met Lauren's eyes. "We can't go head first into an unknown situation. It could be dangerous; it could be a mistake." The force of her fears shoved the words out of her mouth.

While Bo cradled Isabeau, Lauren walked over and placed a lingering kiss on Bo's forehead. When she drew back, she searched Bo's eyes, an onslaught of naked emotions passed between them.

Lauren placed her fingertips on Isabeau's cheek and said. "We have to do something. As long as we are cautious and mindful of the danger." Lauren held her own misgivings but, at that moment, she felt it was more important to encourage Bo than to add to her fears.

Bo frowned and stared at Isabeau. Just the thought of anything bad happening to her made Bo's world stop, and she had to struggle to focus her mind through that dread.

Looking at Bo's anxious features, Lauren added. "I know you will protect her, Bo. You always find a way." She looked at Bo with absolute conviction and love in her eyes.

Bo stroked Isabeau's silken head and put her cheek against hers. She forced herself to breath slowly and back away from the panicked questions tossing through her mind. "I hope you're right," She whispered, as she stared unseeing into the distance.

If Lauren had captured Bo's heart, then the precious little girl in her arms had seized her soul as soon as she laid eyes on her. And she would do anything in her power to protect her. She only needed to figure out how.

 **XXXX**

 **AN**

 **Sorry about the short update and wait, this time of year finding time to write is a lot harder for me.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


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